Overview

• Karoline Leavitt made the characterization during a Thursday Fox News segment after anchor Sandra Smith aired a clip of Zohran Mamdani declining to say Hamas should lay down its arms in a separate interview.
• Leavitt coupled the attack with a defense of President Trump, asserting he brought home the last living hostage from Gaza, Edan Alexander, who reunited with his family in New Jersey.
• Commentators and advocacy figures condemned the remarks as inflammatory and false, warning the rhetoric could increase the risk of political violence.
• Some critics floated legal or political consequences, including suggestions that the Democratic Party pursue a slander claim.
• As of the latest reports, there has been no retraction, censure, or formal disciplinary action in response to Leavitt’s comments.