Karoline Leavitt loves her Self-Portrait clothes passionately. It appears that she has no plans to cast aside her favourite made-in-China brand even when she continues to be ardent about America First

Karoline Leavitt in Self-Portrait

It’s a love that sticks around like a lingering ex. Three months after she was called out for wearing made-in-China clothes from Self-Portrait despite her ardent support of Donald Trump’s harsh tariffs on the world’s second largest economy, Karoline Leavitt still has no desire to put away her deep affection for the British label founded by a Penangite. In a recent White House press briefing, in which she appeared with the sulky director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Ms Leavitt strode into the James S. Brady briefing room armed not just with talking points, but with a full-frontal assault on expected journalistic inquiry. That was not out of the ordinary. So too her choice of outfit, a significant one, especially when trade with China has not come to a conclusive “deal”.

The typically combative her wore a sleeveless Self-Portrait mini-dress in disarming pink. Its shoulders were lightly padded to make her look powerful, even if the outfit was in the colour of ceasefire. A mumsy fit on her, the tailored dress that looked two-piece was shaped at the bodice with darts emerging from the neckline and the sides to better accommodate her ample bosoms. A row of cloth buttons in the same fabric, placed somewhat close, was a row of candy that wasn’t, conversely, a sugar-fueled performance plan. Ms Leavitt looked sweet and serene, even when she was not—more like a country club supervisor ready to pounce on a visitor deemed beneath the premises. The calculated contrast is clear: aggressive rhetoric and a demure presentation. It is a deliberate choice that plays into a certain perception and has been effective for her, even if disingenuous. It is unknown how good Ms Leavitt is in the kitchen, but she has, no doubt, nailed the butter-wouldn’t-melt persona.

She looked sweet and serene, even when she was not—more like a country club supervisor ready to pounce on a visitor deemed beneath the premises

This Self-Portrait dress in “100% polyester” satin is no longer sold on the Self-Portrait e-store, but on the MyTheresa e-commerce site, it is still available at S$395, marked down from the original of S$565. The dress was fashioned like a skirt-suit and came with a detachable bow belt. My Leavitt adopted the look wholesale (she rarely wears separates from different brands) as should Donald Trump’s policies. There she stood behind the lectern, the embodiment of the America First doctrine, the fervent advocate for bringing manufacturing jobs back home, draped unapologetically in made-in-China, confirming what the Chinese diplomat who first brought her dress choice to global attention said: “Accusing China is business. Buying China is life.”

So, while the recent White House briefing might have been ostensibly about Tulsi Gabbard’s latest unsubstantiated claims against the Obama administration—a barely veiled attempt to rewrite history and distract from the current Jeffrey Epstein controversies—the true star of the show was Karoline Leavitt. With her cotton-candy yet utterly combative demeanor, she once again served less as a purveyor of information and more as a theatrical combatant. Yet, beneath the aggressive rhetoric and the accusations of media “lies”, lay the exquisite irony of her chosen attire: another Self-Portrait dress, a consistent fave, whose very made-in China label continues to mock the administration’s fervent “America First” stance. It is hard not to wonder if her unwavering loyalty to this brand signifies a personal preference, a calculated defiance, or simply a preemptive dismissal of the hypocrisy it embodies.

Screen shot: facethenation/YouTube