‘Classic communists’: Karoline Leavitt slams Zohran Mamdani over wife's $630 designer boots

WASHINGTON, DC: White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt has criticized Rama Duwaji, the wife of New York City’s newly inaugurated Mayor Zohran Mamdani, over her choice of designer footwear during the swearing-in ceremony on January 1. 

The dispute centers on whether the First Lady’s high-fashion attire contradicts the mayor’s socialist goals and his focus on making the city more affordable.

Leavitt labels Rama Duwaji’s designer boots as evidence of hypocrisy

Karoline Leavitt took to her Instagram on Friday, January 2 to highlight the $630 Miista boots worn by the 28-year-old Duwaji, alongside a wool coat and knee-length black shorts. 

Despite reports from Duwaji’s stylist that the entire ensemble was borrowed or loaned for the occasion, the Press Secretary took a jab at the fashion choice to accuse the new administration of hypocrisy. 

On her Instagram, Leavitt stated, “They want New Yorkers to hand over more than half their income to the government - while she wears designer boots worth your weekly paycheck.”

Leavitt links designer fashion to failures of socialist ideology

Leavitt, who is herself frequently seen in luxury brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton, framed the wardrobe choice as a failure of socialist ideology. 

She further remarked, “Classic Communists - rules for you, but not for them. There are reasons Communism has failed everywhere it’s been tried. Good luck, New York.” 

This critique targeted Mamdani’s ambitious 'affordability agenda,' which includes free bus transit, universal childcare, and a rent freeze for two million residents. 

While Leavitt claimed the mayor wants citizens to 'hand over half their income,' Mamdani actually plans to pay for his initiatives by raising corporate tax rates and higher taxes on the city's wealthiest residents.

Rama Duwaji’s stylist clarifies designer wardrobe was only borrowed samples

In response to the online stir, New York stylist Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, who dressed the First Lady for the event, clarified that the items were not personal purchases. 

Writing on her Substack, Karefa-Johnson stated, “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.” 

She emphasized the sustainability and historical weight of the outfit, adding, “I love that she added a new chapter to garments that have already lived many lives — and that their next wearers will get to share in this piece of history.”