White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed concerns on Wednesday regarding Democratic lawmakers’ inflammatory rhetoric following President Donald Trump’s decision to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
During the White House press briefing, Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy pressed Leavitt on comments made by elected Democrats who expressed outrage over the shutdown and the role of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in cutting federal waste.
Doocy highlighted remarks from several Democrats who described the situation in combative and violent terms.
Dennis Quaid’s #1 Warning for Americans
“Some elected Democrats are so steamed about [Department of Government Efficiency] DOGE. [Democratic New Jersey] Congresswoman LaMonica McIver says ‘we are at war.’ [Democratic Minnesota Rep.] Ilhan Omar says ‘we might actually see someone get killed,’ and [Democratic Maryland Sen.] Chris Van Hollen says ‘we have to fight this in Congress, we have to fight this in the streets.’ So, what now?” Doocy asked.
Leavitt condemned the rhetoric, calling it “unacceptable” and warning that such statements from Republican lawmakers would trigger widespread backlash.
“And may I just point out that if you heard that type of violent, enticing rhetoric from our side of the aisle, from Republican leaders on Capitol Hill, I think there would be a lot more outrage in this room today. It’s unacceptable, the comments that have been made by these Democrat leaders and frankly, they don’t even know what they are talking about,” Leavitt said.
She emphasized that Trump was elected with a clear mandate to reduce government inefficiency, a promise he campaigned on alongside Elon Musk.
“President Trump was elected with a mandate from the American people to make this government more efficient. He campaigned across this country with Elon Musk vowing that Elon was going to head up the Department of Government Efficiency and the two of them, with this great team they have around them, were going to look at the receipts of this federal government and ensure it’s accountable to American taxpayers.”
Leavitt also urged accountability for Democratic officials making incendiary comments.
“For Democratic officials to incite violence and encourage Americans to take to the streets is incredibly alarming, and they should be held accountable for that rhetoric,” she said.
USAID, which has poured billions in taxpayer dollars into foreign aid initiatives, was set to shut down following Musk’s review of federal waste through DOGE.
The agency had planned to spend $1.5 billion in Latin America and the Caribbean on LGBTQ programs and distributed millions of contraceptives globally in fiscal year 2022.
Following the announcement of USAID’s closure, the Biden-appointed staff were told to work remotely, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio was tapped to serve as acting director to oversee its absorption into the State Department.
On Tuesday, angry Democratic lawmakers gathered outside the Department of Treasury to protest what they called Musk’s “hostile takeover” of federal systems.
McIver escalated her rhetoric, calling for the U.S. Senate to be “shut down,” adding that she would not take “this sh*t” from Musk and Trump.
Democratic Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley also threatened Republicans, stating she would bring “fire” to the party.
“Elon Musk is a Nazi nepo baby. A godless, lawless billionaire. No one elected Elon. This is the American people. This is not your trashy cyber truck that you can just dismantle, pick apart, and sell the pieces of,” Pressley declared.
“I want to say to our Republican colleagues—pay attention. We’re here today in the hopes that you will see the light. But if you do not see the light, we will bring the fire. Resist.”
Insurrection? Ayanna Pressley Calls Elon “Nazi Nepo Baby,” Threatens GOP: “We Will Bring the Fire” pic.twitter.com/YlIeh88VJh
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) February 6, 2025
Protesters could also be heard chanting, “Elon Musk has got to go!” as McIver urged supporters to “mobilize” and “fight back” against Trump and Musk.
DOGE derangement syndrome pic.twitter.com/w0vP8EkryM
— Politi_Rican (@TheRicanMemes) February 6, 2025
The heated rhetoric from Democratic lawmakers stands in contrast to their repeated accusations that Republicans, and particularly Trump, incited political violence.
Democrats have frequently pointed to January 6, 2021, as an example of what they claim is Republican extremism while now engaging in similar language over USAID’s shutdown.
Despite the outcry from Democrats, the Trump administration remains firm on its decision to eliminate wasteful spending, with Musk’s DOGE team continuing to review federal programs for further reductions and restructuring.
The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LifeZette. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.
Read the full article here