Karoline Leavitt, the 27-year-old White House Press Secretary, came under fire over her attire amid the ongoing tariff dispute with the United States. Zhang Zhisheng, China’s Consul General in Denpasar, Indonesia, took to X to post a photo of Leavitt wearing a red dress trimmed with black lace, an outfit he pointed out was made in China.

A screenshot from Weibo, a popular Chinese microblogging site, backed Zhang’s post, showing a user alleging that the black lace on Leavitt’s dress was produced in a factory in Mabu, China. “Criticizing China is business. Buying from China is life. An employee of a Chinese company confirmed the lace as their product,” the April 14 caption read.

People online had mixed reactions. “Lol. Hypocrites exposed,” one person wrote, and another called the find “pure gold.” Some defended Leavitt, saying her dress was “original.” Others joked, “China always acts like the jealous little brother.” An X user named ‘ShanghaiPanda’ wrote, “White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blames ‘Made in China’ while wearing a beautiful lace dress made in China. Criticizing it is her job; enjoying it is her life.”

Last week, China hit back by raising tariffs on U.S. imports to as much as 125%, calling former President Trump’s tariff strategy “a joke.” This move was in response to Trump’s earlier decision to increase duties on the world’s second-largest economy.

Just before China’s retaliation, Trump had put a 90-day hold on tariffs for more than 75 countries, a sudden reversal coming one day after he introduced broad new trade duties. Meanwhile, tariffs on Chinese goods jumped even higher, reaching 145%, further heightening tensions between the two economies.

 

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