Fox News’ Peter Doocy pressed White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday about whether President Donald Trump would try to deport Zohran Mamdani, the newly-minted Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City.
The exchange got pretty tense, and you can probably guess why.
The White House press secretary asked about Zohran Mamdani
Doocy ran with far-right Rep. Andy Ogles’ push to have Mamdani stripped of his citizenship. Ogles is claiming Mamdani hid “pro-terrorism” views in some old rap lyrics, which, let’s be real, sounds more like a stretch than a legitimate legal argument.
Mamdani, who’s Muslim and ran on ideas like rent freezes, city-owned grocery stores, and government help for childcare, has been catching a ton of heat lately—especially after he pulled off a major upset against Andrew Cuomo.
Since then, the attacks from the right have only gotten louder.
When Doocy asked, “Does President Trump want Zohran Mamdani deported?” Leavitt just smiled and said, “I haven’t heard him say that, I haven’t heard him call for that, but certainly he does not want this individual to be elected. I was just talking to him about Mamdani’s radical policies, which he thinks would ruin New York City—a place he really cares about.”
Fox News’ Peter Doocy: “Does President Trump want Zohran Mamdani deported?”
Karoline Leavitt: “I haven’t heard him say that. … But certainly, he does not want this individual to be elected.” pic.twitter.com/toe31Vi8yh
— The Recount (@therecount) June 30, 2025
‘Does Donald Trump Want Zohran Mamdani Deported?
Then Doocy brought up Ogles’ latest antics, asking if Trump thinks Attorney General Pam Bondi should really be spending time on this. Leavitt dodged, saying, “I’ll let the president speak to that. I haven’t seen those claims, but if they’re true, it’s something that should be checked out.”
Doocy didn’t stop there—he also brought up Mamdani’s refusal on “Meet the Press” to outright condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which got the attention of Hakeem Jeffries, a top Democrat in Congress. Jeffries wanted answers, even though Mamdani has said there’s no room for antisemitism in New York.
Finally, Doocy asked, “Could President Trump see himself working with a Mayor Mamdani?”
Leavitt took the opportunity to double down: “Look, the president says he’s willing to work with anyone—Democrats, Republicans, even people on the far left. He just wants what’s best for America. But Mamdani’s values? He’s quite literally a communist, he’s against everything that makes this country great—common sense, law and order, low taxes, working hard. The president would have a hard time working with someone like that. If Mamdani wins, I’m sure Trump will have more to say. But let’s hope New York voters make the right choice.”
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