White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wore a dress produced in the country that her boss slapped punishing tariffs on

Karoline Leavitt in the dress that has been identified as made in China. Screen shot: wfaa/YouTube

This MAGA blonde is next. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has, at last, been called out for her hypocrisy, coloured in raging red. She was mocked online for wearing a made-in-China dress despite her firm belief in harsh “reciprocal” tariffs and her loyal support for the man whose levies on China are “based on the lack of respect”. The dress is by the British brand Self-Portrait, founded and designed by Penangite Han Chong (韩冲), and manufactured in China. On the Self-Portrait website, the dress is no longer available, but a similar piece in white retails for £400 (or S$695). It is not known if Ms Leavitt was aware of where the dress she wore that day was produced.

The production origin of Ms Leavitt’s polyester-blend waffle-knit dress came to light when the consul general of China in Denpasar, Indonesia, Zhang Zhisheng (张志昇) shared a post on X that first traced the manufacture of the black lace trim of the dress to a factory in the Zhejiang town of Mabu (麻步镇). The person who posted that information (actually, replying to someone) even said it was his factory that dyed the lace and it was he who made sure the colour was right. It was followed by a comment to his post with confirmation that “衣服都是中国产的 (the dress is entirely produced in China)”. Mr Zhang reaction to the discovery: “Accusing China is business. Buying China is life.”

She was mocked online for wearing a made-in-China dress despite her firm belief in harsh “reciprocal” tariffs and her loyal support for the man whose levies on China are “based on the lack of respect”

The dress was worn during a White House press briefing on 31 January of this year, during which she provided an update on the president’s reaction to the midair collision of a U.S. army helicopter with a jetliner days earlier over Reagen airport in which 67 people died. She chose a suitably cheerful and auspicious colour to share that information with the media, even asking the journalist at the start, “nice live shot?” The dress hung well on her, but it might have been more fetching if she paired it with a matching MAGA cap. The 27-year-old has not commented on the online-fascination-turned-news-story. It would be interesting to know how she feels wearing something made by “Chinese peasants”, as JD Vance called the countless in China who have been making retail in America possible. And her dress tangible.

The backlash to Ms Leavitt’s dress choice has been rapid as the discovery of where it was made came in the wake of Chinese TikTokers sharing reels that supposedly uncovered the Chinese production sources of European luxury bags. Netizens in China, unsurprisingly, have been having quite a go at the bellicose press secretary, calling her a rank hypocrite. Initially, her defenders hit back by saying that what she wore was “an original” and that the dress that the Chinese factory claimed to have made is a knock-off. One X-user commented on Mr Zhang’s post: “Brotha yall copied and stole their designs. This is why americans saying fuck you. We know all the counterfeit that floods nyc is coming from china!” He did not say why New York is inundated with copies if there is no burning American demand for them.

A screen shot shared by Zhang Zhisheng that purported to show the factory that made the Self-Portrait dress

Zhang Zhisheng, the consul general, then repeatedly shared with detractors a screen shot that purported to show the factory that produced the garment in question. The cardinal dress was not the first Self-Portrait piece Ms Leavitt has worn to meet the press. There were a few others, including one cream coloured suit with trims along the neckline, the edge of the closure, the top of pockets and the hem of sleeves, and another mint-green dress with similar details. Both recall the classic Chanel jacket, and are likely manufactured in China. Many online, in fact, have wondered if anything Ms Leavitt has so far worn in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room are made in good ol’ America.

Despite her young age (she’s the youngest press secretary in White House history), she seems to eschew Gen-Z silhouettes for what can be fairly considered unforgiving blandness or conforming ‘office wear’. Her ensembles are as smart as her communication style is combative, offering no distractions from her interactions with the press and her eagerness to criticise media outlets for what she perceives as adversarial questioning. As a communicator, her approach borders on the irritating. And she demonstrates a lap-dog loyalty to the man for whom she is his mouthpiece. Responding to his unfathomable tariffs on China, Karoline Leavitt said: “When you punch at the United States of America, President Trump is going to punch back further.” Who’s the punching bag now?