Karoline Leavitt gets brutally mocked for ‘Carla Hayden inappropriate books’ remark
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has made a claim that Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden used to put “inappropriate books in the library for children.” During a White House briefing, Hayden’s firing came up and Leavitt said, “She was doing concerning things in the pursuit of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI),” in a bid to defend Trump’s firing of the Librarian of Congress.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt(AFP)
What did Karoline Leavitt say in defense?
During the press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt explained why President Donald Trump removed Carla Hayden as the head of the Library of Congress. Leavitt claimed Hayden allowed “inappropriate books for children” in the library and focused too much on “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)”, policies some conservatives criticize.
The Librarian of Congress is a top role in the national library, appointed by the president and approved by the Senate for a 10-year term. Hayden, the first woman and first Black person in the job, was set to finish her term next year.
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Critics pointed out that the Library of Congress isn’t meant for kids, and readers must be at least 16, and books can’t be borrowed freely. Author Jack Pitney joked on social media that Leavitt seemed unaware of these rules.
Hayden was fired on Thursday, though the exact reason wasn’t clear. Democrats accused Trump of trying to control which books are available, calling it censorship.
The situation has sparked debate over free access to information and the role of politics in libraries.
Podcaster Hemant Mehta wrote on X, “They have no idea what her job was, do they.”
Another user took to commenting, “This is how fascism works. Slow to start, and then the walls start tumbling, one by one. Education. Books. Speech. Press. That sound is your rights crumbling away.”
Journalist Lydia Polgreen took a dig at Leavitt by saying on X, “At least she admits some members of congress are children.”
An X user called this entire allegation false and malicious, saying, “This is 100% false. The Librarian of Congress is an apolitical role. For her to stand up there and make these statements is atrocious. The Library of Congress is a research library, not a library where you check out books, you read books while you are there. It’s a phenomenal place. For @PressSec to say this about D.E.I, is just blatantly false and malicious.”
Another fuming X user wrote, “She was fired because she was an educated Black woman. That’s it. I don’t wanna hear s*** in the comments either. Keep that brainwashed cult white supremacist b***** to yourself.”
