Fact Check: Did Karoline Leavitt wear a 'Make America Blonde Again' t-shirt?

WASHINGTON, DC: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is courting controversy once again - this time after allegedly donning a black T-shirt featuring the phrase: 'Make America Blonde Again'.

A photo of Leavitt rocking the T-shirt has been making the rounds online, showing the Trump administration’s youngest-ever press secretary snapping a mirror selfie at what appears to be a hair salon.

The picture first surfaced in March last year when an X account posted it, and it gained even more traction in November after President Donald Trump appointed her as his press secretary. Ever since, the image has been circulating across X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit.

Fact Check: True

Unlike many viral images that turn out to be AI-generated or doctored nowadays, this one is 100% authentic. A White House official confirmed its legitimacy: “This is a legitimate picture of Karoline. Her hairdresser made these T-shirts, and Karoline bought one at her salon.”

However, that’s about all the White House was willing to confirm. They didn’t say when or where the photo was taken, nor did they clarify where it was originally posted.

Despite a deep dive into Leavitt’s social media profiles on X, Facebook, and Instagram, the image itself has not been found on any of her accounts. Even reverse image searches through Google and TinEye came up empty on tracking the picture’s origin, according to Snopes.

That hasn’t stopped people from sounding off online. Some Trump supporters embraced the slogan as a lighthearted nod to his Make America Great Again brand, while critics saw it as tone-deaf.

Karoline Leavitt’s past controversy over 'transgender comic book' claim

Just weeks ago, Leavitt was at the center of another controversy - this time involving a false claim about a "transgender comic book" allegedly funded by USAID.

The claim first came up in early February, after Trump’s newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced plans to shut down the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

As part of the justification for shuttering USAID, Leavitt publicly stated that the agency had provided a $32,000 grant to fund a “transgender comic book” in Peru.

The story first gained traction when Florida Republican Rep. Brian Mast—the new chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee—promoted it on Fox Business Network’s “Kudlow” show on January 22. It then appeared in a Daily Mail article on January 28, though the piece misidentified USAID as the “United States Department of International Aid.”

Mast continued pushing the claim in multiple appearances, including a February 2 interview on CBS’s 'Face the Nation' where he told viewers, “And I heard it’s reasonably risque.”

“An LGBTQ trans comic book,” he added.

What really happened

The entire claim was false, according to Snopes.

While a $32,000 grant was awarded to support a Peruvian comic book, it didn’t come from USAID at all. Instead, it was issued by the US Department of State’s Diplomatic and Consular Programs as part of a student cultural exchange program between the US and Peru.

The comic book in question — titled “El Poder de La Educación” (“The Power of Education”) — follows a group of superheroes and spans three issues. While one issue does feature a gay protagonist named Alex, there are no transgender characters in the series.

That said, Leavitt continues to dominate the news cycle with her role in the Trump White House. At just 27 years old, she has already made history as the youngest-ever White House press secretary.

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