Fact Check: Did Karoline Leavitt compete in Miss Teen USA as shown in viral clip?

WASHINGTON, DC: A viral clip has been making the rounds on social media claiming to show White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt giving a speech during a Miss Teen USA contest.

The video and subsequent claims have left some scratching their heads, considering Leavitt has never spoken about having been a pageant queen.

Fact Check: False

Karoline Leavitt has never competed in a pageant, let alone Miss South Carolina. The video actually belongs to someone else—Catie Upton, who had one of the most infamous pageant moments in history at the 2007 Miss Teen USA competition.

Upton represented South Carolina at Miss Teen USA, where she was asked a seemingly simple question by actor and pageant judge Aimee Teegarden: “Why do you believe that an estimated 20% of Americans can’t locate the US on a world map?”

That’s when Upton delivered a response that went viral years later for all the wrong reasons: “I personally believe that US Americans are unable to do so because, um, some people out there in our nation don’t have maps. And I believe that our education, like such as South Africa and the Iraq and everywhere, like, such as, and I believe that they should… our education over here in the US should help the US, should help South Africa and should help Iraq and the Asian countries—so we will be able to build up our future.”

The clip took on a life of its own, becoming one of the most mocked moments in pageant history. Upton’s answer was replayed, remixed, and turned into an internet punchline.

But while millions laughed, the impact it had on her was devastating. In a 2015 interview with New York Magazine, she revealed that the public ridicule led to severe depression and suicidal thoughts.

JD Vance resurrected viral clip to mock Kamala Harris

JD Vance decided to dig the clip back up during the last election cycle.

At the time, Vance was running as Donald Trump’s running mate—and he used the clip to take a swipe at then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Posting the viral video on X (formerly Twitter), Vance quipped: “BREAKING: I have gotten ahold of the full Kamala Harris CNN interview.”

It was meant to be a cheap shot at Harris, comparing her speaking style to Upton’s infamous flub. But in doing so, Vance dragged Upton back into the spotlight and rekindled the same public humiliation she had worked so hard to move past.

Frustrated by the renewed attention, Upton released a statement to People at the time: “It’s a shame that 17 years later, this is still being brought up. There’s not too much else to say about it at this point.”

But it looks like the internet has taken things a step further this time, rewriting history by falsely claiming that the woman in the clip is Karoline Leavitt.

Where does Karoline Leavitt fit into this?

The reality is that Karoline Leavitt has absolutely nothing to do with this.

For starters, she was just 10 years old in 2007. Born in Atkinson, New Hampshire, in 1997, she couldn’t possibly have been on stage competing for a Miss South Carolina title. Not only that, but Leavitt isn’t even from South Carolina—she grew up in New England and never had any ties to the pageant world.

Instead of tiaras and sashes, Leavitt was busy building a career in conservative politics. She attended Saint Anselm College, where she became passionate about politics and got her first taste of Washington as a writer for the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence during Trump’s first term.

After a stint working for Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, Leavitt ran for Congress herself in New Hampshire’s 1st district in 2022. Though she lost, she stayed in Trump’s inner circle and eventually became his campaign press secretary last year. When Trump returned to the White House, Leavitt became the youngest person ever to serve as White House Press Secretary.

She has since spent her time in the press briefing room sparring with reporters, defending Trump’s policies, and making headlines—but she’s definitely never worn a sash or stood on a pageant stage.