Caught in the crossfire — Karoline Leavitt slammed as a ‘hypocrite’ after Chinese diplomat mocks her dress amid escalating trade war. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt faces backlash after a Chinese diplomat ridicules her for wearing a dress allegedly made in China. The irony of her attire amid Trump’s escalating trade war sparks accusations of hypocrisy, intensifying political drama. Here’s what’s next for Leavitt and her critics.

Karoline Leavitt has been accused of being a ‘hypocrite’ as a Chinese diplomat mocked the White House press secretary for allegedly wearing a dress made in China as Trump’s trade war escalates

Leavitt was mocked for a dress she wore in January (Image: Getty Images)

As the trade war between the US and China escalates, Karoline Leavitt has been trolled by a Chinese diplomat for allegedly wearing a dress that was made in China.

Zhang Zhisheng, who serves as the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Denpasar, Indonesia, took to X to share an image of the White House press secretary wearing a red and black dress during a press briefing in January. Alongside it, the Chinese diplomat also included screenshots from Weibo users claiming Leavitt’s dress had come from a factory in Mabu, China, where they work.

“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,” Zhisheng wrote. Many came to Leavitt’s defense, claiming the dress the workers were referencing was probably a replica of the one worn by Leavitt. This comes as Trump’s ‘real height’ has been detailed in a recently released medical report.

“Don’t worry, what she’s wearing is the real deal, not that cheap ;Made In China’ knockoff you’re talking about. Shady fake stuff,” one wrote. “You mean stolen by china i think,” a second commented. “Nah, that’s just your cheap knock off,” another said.

But Zhisheng pointed out that the original dress appeared to be from the brand Self Portrait, which manufactures most of its designs in China. “Self Portrait, brand registered in UK, created by a Malaysian Chinese designer, made in China,” Zhisheng wrote alongside a screenshot of a listing of the dress.

If you can’t see the dress below, click here

 

The dress appears to be from the brand Self Portrait (Image: Getty Images)
“Lol. Hypocrites exposed,” one person responded. “This is gold,” another wrote. Others remained unbothered. “Big f—— deal. That bulls— is changing; China is headed for the toilet. Trump just flushed them,” one commented. “China always acting like the jealous little brother,” a second added.

It comes as China’s leader Xi Jinping said no one wins in a trade war as he kicked off a diplomatic tour of Southeast Asia on Monday. Although Trump has paused some tariffs, he has kept in place 145% duties on China, the world’s second-largest economy.

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“There are no winners in a trade war, or a tariff war,” Xi wrote in an editorial jointly published in Vietnamese and Chinese official media. “Our two countries should resolutely safeguard the multilateral trading system, stable global industrial and supply chains, and open and cooperative international environment.”

Talking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said China and Vietnam were trying “to figure out how do we screw the United States of America.”