Trump Press Secretary’s Dress Takes Chinese Social Media by Storm—The Stunning Outfit Sparks International Outrage, Viral Memes, and Cultural Clash! Netizens Blast Fashion Choice as Drama Crosses Borders. Is It Just a Dress or a Diplomatic Incident in the Making? Inside the Controversy That’s Taking China by Storm

As the trade war between China and the U.S. continues to simmer, a fashion choice by the White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has heated up the issue on social media.

A photograph of the 27-year-old wearing a red dress with black trim caught the attention of Chinese envoy Zhang Zhishen, who posted a photo of the dress on “X” and included screenshots from Weibo users that claimed the lace on the dress was made in a factory in Mabu, China, where the Weibo users worked. Zhang, the consul general of the People’s Republic of China in Denpasar, Indonesia, posted on April 14, “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.”

That sparked more responses and pushback on social media, while the trade war between China and the U.S. continues to heat up. In response to President Donald Trump’s decision to place 145 percent tariffs on China, Chinese officials responded last week by increasing tariffs on U.S. imports to as high as 125 percent.

The backlash over Leavitt’s red and black dress also comes at a time when TikTok is buzzing with posts about how many luxury houses use China for the production of designer handbags and other high-ticketed items. Some TikTok posters featured videos inside of the factories and mapped out the factories’ locations to encourage people to buy directly from the factories. China has been the world’s largest apparel manufacturer and exporter for more than a decade. As of last year, there were 13,820 apparel and accessories enterprises in China, according to Statista.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt heads for the podium at the White House on January 31, 2025 in Washington, D.C.

Susan Scafidi, founder of the Fashion Law Institute at the Fordham University School of Law, said, “After days of Chinese TikTok posts claiming that luxury fashion is actually made in China — exaggerated tales with a few grains of truth — it’s no wonder that a red dress on the White House press secretary is the subject of similarly gleeful propaganda. Ms. Leavitt’s best response might be to appear at the next briefing with her ensemble inside out, tags on display, if she can find a rare ‘Made in U.S.A.’ label in her wardrobe.”

Looking ahead at the trade war, Scafidi said, “I’m not optimistic — either for a speedy reduction in tariffs or for the financial health of American fashion companies and consumers.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaking about tariffs at a White House briefing on Jan. 31, 2025.

Scafidi speculated that the Department of Government Efficiency’s budget cuts perhaps “will allow the government to pay remaining federal employees enough to cover the costs of clothing that can only be driven higher [in price] by the trade war. But in the short term, I’m not optimistic — either for a speedy reduction in tariffs or for the financial health of American fashion companies and consumers.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt walks into the Brady Press Briefing Room for a news conference at the White House on January 31, 2025 in Washington, DC. Leavitt announced that 25-percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico and a 10-percent tariff on China will go into effect on February 1.

Pratt Institute digital media professor Minh-ha Pham, said the Leavitt incident “underscores a significant blind spot in this administration’s understanding of the global economy and its imposition of tariffs, especially the high tariffs being meted out to Asian countries and China, in particular.”

Pham, whose research investigates the intersection of gender, race, and labor under global and digital capitalism, said, “Not only are we all connected – for better and for worse – under globalization, but for nearly a century U.S. trade laws and practices have helped to make China the world’s factory. We shouldn’t be surprised that Leavitt’s dress is [said to be] made in China; no doubt, her phone, and many other things she owns and relies on were also made in China.”