White House press secretary’s ‘Made in China’ dress sparks online debate

The ongoing US-China trade war has taken an unexpected turn on social media, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt becoming the latest target in a controversy over her dress.

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The controversy began after Chinese diplomat Zhang Zhisheng posted a photo of Leavitt wearing a dress with Chinese lace, in which one user claimed that the lace came from a factory in Mabu, China.

“Accusing China is business. Buying in China is life,” Zhang wrote on X.

The diplomat also included screenshots from Chinese social media platform Weibo, where the user claimed to work at the factory that allegedly produced the lace used in Lavitt’s dress.

The post sparked a flurry of reactions online. Some accused Leavitt of hypocrisy for wearing a Chinese-made dress while slamming China. “Classic politician move: blame China, but keep the cheap goods,” one user commented.

Another added, “How does Karoline Leavitt manage the crushing irony of slamming ‘Made in China’ while rocking a Chinese-made dress? Tariffs hit hard, but her wardrobe says she’s all for it.”

Take a look at the post here:

Accusing China is business.

Buying China is life.

The beautiful lace on the dress was recognized by an employee of a Chinese company as its product. pic.twitter.com/SfPyM4M02Z

— Zhang Zhisheng 张志昇 (@salahzhang) April 14, 2025

However, many also came to her defence. Some suggested the dress shown on the Chinese website could be a knockoff. “It’s more likely that they copied a luxury brand’s jacket,” one user said. Another said, “Fake news. She is wearing the French original; the advert shows a Chinese copy.”