I’m Sure Karoline Leavitt Is Just Jealous No One Will Lend Her Designer Clothes

On Thursday, thousands of New Yorkers braved the frigid cold (and probably some awful New Year’s hangovers) to celebrate the inauguration of their new mayor, Zohran Mamdani. And while the day technically belonged to Mamdani, it was the city’s first lady, Rama Duwaji, who stole the show—but not without ruffling some MAGA feathers.

Hours after the swearing-in ceremony (which took place in the Old City Hall Station) the New York Post called out Duwaji for wearing $630 boots. White House Propaganda Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt then reposted the story to her Instagram, writing, “They want New Yorkers to hand over more than half their income to the government – while she wears designer boots worth your weekly paycheck. Classic Communists – rules for you, but not for them. There are reasons Communism has failed everywhere it’s been tried. Good luck, New York.” We’ll mention here, for no reason, that the average cost of lip fillers is $743, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Also, since some people (half the country) still seem to be confused, Mamdani’s actually a democratic socialist (not the same!); all of Duwaji’s outfit was either borrowed or rented, including the Miista boots, which were on loan from the brand; and Leavitt herself is often drenched in designer labels. But what else can you expect from the party of hypocrisy?

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shows off her $4,800 Louis Vuitton bag pic.twitter.com/Wh1KGZp39r

— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) April 6, 2025

Mamdani and Duwaji were also styled with intention for their inauguration, which took place in two parts. The first, the quieter, more intimate ceremony in the abandoned station beneath City Hall, in which Attorney General Letitia James (D) swore Mamdani in while he placed his hand on two Qurans held by his wife. He wore a suit and printed tie from India-based designer, Kartik Research, and she wore a pair of chunky gold earrings loaned by New York Vintage. “I cannot wait to see everyone tomorrow as we begin our term,” he said. “This is truly the honor and the privilege of a lifetime.” When the two headed to the public ceremony afterward, she changed into an A-line coat from a Palestinian-Lebanese designer.

“As one can imagine, there are anxieties around expectations for a stage of this scale for a stylist,” Gabriella Karefa-Johnson (the former Vogue editor who was once attacked by Kanye West after she criticized his “White Lives Matter” t-shirt), who styled Duwaji for both events, wrote on her Substack on Thursday. “I’m just going to have to get comfortable with the fact that people on the internet do not understand what being lent a SAMPLE that has been borrowed before and will be borrowed again means but, you know what, that’s okay.”

Johnson is a longtime friend of Mamdani’s senior advisor and was tapped to style Duwaji for her first official public appearance as First Lady of NYC to help “translate” her through fashion.

For what it’s worth, since entering the White House, Leavitt has been photographed with her Gucci watch, Jimmy Choo pumps (which cost $1,125), and a Louis Vuitton bag costing $2,130. None of these is reported to have been borrowed. In her first-ever press conference in January 2025, she wore an ensemble that some estimated to cost up to $900. And need I mention her multimillionaire husband, who’s twice her age?

As for Duwaji, she’s been First Lady for less than a week and has already exhibited more style and class than Leavitt has displayed in a year. On behalf of myself, New York, and America, I hope she only continues to serve looks—be they borrowed or bought.

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