By Trendsetter Tribune 
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has taken aim at the wife of New York City’s new mayor, criticizing the boots she wore during his swearing-in ceremony and accusing the couple of hypocrisy.
A day after Mayor Zohran Mamdani was inaugurated — promising to focus on affordability across the city — Leavitt commented on the outfit worn by his wife, Rama Duwaji. Duwaji attended the ceremony in a pair of borrowed $630 Miista boots, along with black knee-length shorts and a dark Balenciaga coat, also reportedly borrowed, according to her stylist.
Leavitt suggested the look conflicted with Mamdani’s economic message.
“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 wrote on Instagram, adding, “Classic Communists — rules for you, but not for them.”
Mamdani campaigned on an ambitious affordability agenda that included universal child care, rent freezes for millions of tenants, faster and free bus service, and city-run grocery stores offering lower-priced food. While Leavitt claimed New Yorkers would be forced to hand over “half their income,” Mamdani has instead proposed taxing the wealthy and raising corporate taxes to fund his plans.
“I was elected as a democratic socialist, and I will govern as a democratic socialist,” Mamdani said during his inauguration at the historic City Hall subway station, where he became New York’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor — and the youngest in more than a century.
Online, opinions over Duwaji’s boots were divided. Some critics argued the optics clashed with the administration’s affordability message, while others said the outrage overlooked the fact the items were borrowed.
Stylist Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, who dressed Duwaji for the event, responded by saying many critics simply misunderstand how fashion loans work.
“I love that she added a new chapter to garments that have already lived many lives,” she wrote, noting the pieces will be worn again by others.
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