Karoline Leavitt: Trump Will Partner With Any Democrat City Ready To Fight Crime
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that President Donald Trump is ready to work with any city — regardless of party — if local leaders are serious about cracking down on crime.
Just minutes before the press briefing, Trump announced via Truth Social that he would delay National Guard deployment to San Francisco after a conversation with newly elected Democrat Mayor Daniel Lurie. Trump said Lurie asked for the opportunity to restore order in the city without immediate federal intervention.
When asked by Daily Wire’s Mary Margaret Olohan whether that kind of cooperation is what the President hopes for across the board, Leavitt confirmed the president’s bipartisan posture.
“The President is willing to work with anyone across the aisle, across the country to do the right thing and clean up American cities,” Leavitt said. “He is genuinely interested in this effort to make our streets safer, our cities safe and clean again.”
The briefing also touched on threats made by “No Kings” protesters, who recently targeted White House officials including Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
“I would think myself, the President, and everyone else at the White House would hope anyone making violent threats against public officials will be arrested and prosecuted,” Leavitt responded.
Meanwhile, the press secretary warned of mounting consequences from the ongoing government shutdown, which has now entered its 23rd day. Leavitt said more than 500,000 federal employees were set to miss their next paycheck, $4 billion in capital for small businesses had been frozen, and air travel could face major disruptions if Democrats continue to hold the line.
“If the Democrats continue to keep the government closed, we fear there will be significant delays and disruption for airlines this holiday season,” she said, calling out Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Whip Katherine Clark for boasting that the shutdown gives them “leverage.”
But much of the press corps appeared more interested in another topic entirely: President Trump’s renovations to the White House, specifically a $300 million privately funded ballroom.
Of the 30 questions asked during the briefing, 11 centered on the ballroom, prompting a moment of sarcasm from Leavitt.
“Is it a big story?” she asked dryly after the first ballroom-related question.
Leavitt confirmed the president would be transparent about how much of his own money he was contributing to the project and reiterated that the full list of private donors had been released.
“President Trump has been incredibly transparent,” she said, noting that reporters had already seen detailed models in the Oval Office and received exclusive remarks about the ballroom earlier.
The media fixation reached such a point that Fox News’s Aisha Hashmi began her questioning by clarifying: “Thanks Karoline. Two questions not on the ballroom.”
While the ballroom may dominate headlines, the White House continues to frame its focus around crime, border security, and economic resilience — and Trump appears eager to work with anyone, even Democrat mayors, willing to prioritize those same goals.