The US-China trade war has spilled onto social media, with Chinese supporters aiming at the US. The latest target is White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who faced backlash after wearing a dress reportedly made in China. The controversy started after Chinese diplomat Zhang Zhisheng criticised Ms Leavitt for wearing a dress made with Chinese lace, highlighting the disconnect between the Trump administration’s tough trade rhetoric and everyday realities.
Mr Zhang, who serves as the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Denpasar, Indonesia, took to X to share a picture of the dress and also included screenshots from Weibo users. One user claimed the lace on Ms Leavitt’s dress came from a factory in Mabu, China, where they work.
“Accusing China is business. Buying in China is life. The beautiful lace on the dress was recognized by an employee of a Chinese company as its product,” diplomat Zhang wrote on X.
See 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
Many came to her defence, arguing that the Chinese website’s dress might be a knockoff. “Chinese people are notorious for bootleg clothes. It’s more likely that they copied a luxury brand’s jacket,” suggested a user.
Defending her, another said, “Fake news. She’s wearing the French original whereas the advert shows a Chinese copy. It’s funny indeed, but the spin of the tweet is dishonest.”
Some accused her of hypocrisy for wearing Chinese-made products while publicly slamming China. A third commented, “Leavitt slams Made in China while rocking a Chinese-made dress, hypocrisy much? Tariffs hit hard, but her wardrobe says she’s all for it. Classic politician move: blame China, but keep the cheap goods.”
“How does Karoline Leavitt manage the crushing irony of slamming ‘Made in China’ while strutting in a gorgeous Chinese-made lace dress at the White House podium?” wrote another user.
Meanwhile, some pointed out that Donald Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA) merchandise has been manufactured in China since 2016.