Karoline Leavitt hosted children at the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room in another Ann Taylor dress

Karoline Leavitt wearing one her favourite brands, Ann Taylor. Photo: EPA

Two days ago, fashionable White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt hosted ‘Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day’ (traditionally marked on the fourth Thursday in April) at the White House, specifically in the James S. Brady press briefing room. She welcomed her guests, mainly the children of journalists who have special access to this small theatre, in what could be dress to take the little ones to the playground. She told the inattentive kids: “My job at the White House is to communicate the president’s message to the American people and to answer questions from journalists who work in this building everyday, many of whom are your moms and your dads.” Ms Leavitt, a mother to a one-year-old son, was careful to say “answer” even when she constantly deflects.

For this occassion, she chose a less office-y but more frumpy outfit. It was a sleeveless, dark-wash denim shift from one of her favourite American brands—Ann Taylor (interestingly, cinched with a Gucci belt). It had contrast stitching to outline the hems and the visible pocket details one usually associate with Chanel. Fancy gold buttons punctuated the tops of the pockets and the entire length of the placket. Curiously, the shoulder of the dress did not sit flatly on the shoulder of the body. On the Ann Taylor website, the US$95.40 (or about S$123) dress is described to have “mod-chic appeal”. There is no reveal of the production provenance of the outfit except that, like everything else the brand offers, it is “imported”. The denim used is a tri-blend and although the U.S. produces such denims, the fabric of Ms Leavitt’s dress, based on the price, is likely from outside America.

Ms Leavitt, while an ardent champion of Donald Trump’s “America First” policy, did not set an example for the young ones by wearing a made-in-America dress. She is known to pick mostly those clothes that cannot trace their origins to anywhere on U.S. soil. That has not deterred her from wearing them to “to communicate the president’s message to the American people”. On this day, not an inch of the Ann Taylor dress is made in her homeland. Given the Trump administration’s emphasis on “America First” and prioritising American manufacturing, a public figure like Ms Leavitt wearing an Ann Taylor dress that is widely known to be imported, and likely made in countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, or Vietnam, creates a contradictory message.

While the visual messaging, particularly to impressionable young people, could be perceived as inconsistent with the Trump administration’s passion for American manufacturing and Ms Leavit’s role as a pedagogue, she did lead by one example: she brought her own child. As she replied to one girl asking her about juggling motherhood and her job, she said: “My baby is here with my mother.” Three generations of the Leavitt family in the White House! Ms Leavitt is known to bring her son to work, even into the Oval Office. She has been photographed with the boy, and the images have been shared on social media. No accessory is more potent than a baby in a woman’s arm. It is likely that her son, too, does not wear Made-in America clothes, as there are currently very few manufacturers of kids’ apparel in the United States.

Although children in the White House can soften the serious and high-stakes nature of the seat of the executive branch of the U.S. government, their presence offer no practical reason beyond optics. If the purpose is educational or inspirational, for very young children, that educational value is minimal, even non-existent in terms of understanding the function of the space. Their experience might be limited to seeing a big building or their parent’s office, without any deeper grasp of its significance. Like Ms Leavitt and her child, it was likely that the young guests and their parents did not wear locally-made garments. One boy was seen with a ‘Gulf of America’ cap. If only the president saw him.

If the “America First” agenda is a core tenet of the administration she represents, and Ms Leavitt is seen as a key messenger, then any visible contradiction—like she, her baby, her juvenile guests and their parents wearing foreign-made clothes—is beyond a minor inconsistency in the face of her parroting Donald Trump’s Made-in-America message. It is a symbol of hypocrisy. In today’s hyper-scrutinized performative media environment, such details can dent Karoline Leavitt’s credibility, if it hasn’t already. All the children with their cute antics she can pack into the small briefing room will remain just that: cute antics, momentarily endearing. A session for show and tell later in school. But, you certainly don’t see the same happening in 10 Downing Street or the Élysée Palace!

Screen shots: Fox News/YouTube