Karoline Leavitt Gets Suspiciously Unpatriotic Birthday Present
The White House, while urging Americans to buy domestic, appeared to gift the press secretary an item from a foreign company.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
Donald Trump wants Americans to buy American, but Karoline Leavitt appeared to score a French luxury gift for her birthday.
White House staff threw a surprise birthday party for the press secretary Thursday, captured in a video posted to Instagram by Trump’s communications adviser Margo Martin.
Leavitt, who turns 28 on Sunday and is the youngest person in U.S. history to hold her post, happily exclaims, “This is so embarrassing,” as she enters a festively decorated room while staffers sing “Happy Birthday.”
Louis Vuitton's gift bags are easily recognizable by their saffron-colored paper and dark blue handles.
Edward Berthelot/Getty Images/Margo Martin/Instagram
Balloons and several gifts are arranged on a chair, one of which appears to be a gift bag from French designer brand Louis Vuitton—easily recognizable by its saffron-colored paper and dark blue handles.
The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment.
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Trump has waged a global trade war, slapping tariffs on imports from longtime allies in a bid to reshape international commerce in favor of American companies. Louis Vuitton—as its name suggests—is not among them.
President Donald Trump wants Americans to buy American. The U.S. and the European Union recently announced a sweeping trade deal that imposed 15 percent tariffs on most European goods.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The designer brand is owned by LVMH, a French luxury goods conglomerate based in Paris and chaired by French billionaire Bernard Arnault—a friend of Trump’s.
However, Louis Vuitton was not spared from Trump’s taxes on goods coming from the European Union. When the president implemented a 15 percent baseline tariff rate, the company increased the price of one of its most popular handbags in the U.S.
Leavitt, who frequently flaunts her Louis Vuitton purchases on Instagram, may have found the birthday gift a welcome reprieve from the cost of her administration’s tariffs.
French businessman Bernard Arnault, CEO and chairman of LVMH, is a friend of the president, but his luxury brands weren't spared from Trump's tariffs.
Drew Angerer/Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Depending on the contents of the bag, however, the gift may have also been manufactured in the U.S., where Louis Vuitton operates three workshops.
According to its website, the American workshops only contribute to its leather goods collections, with other items, such as its ready-to-wear and jewelry collections, made in France, Spain, Italy, and Switzerland.
In July, Arnault announced plans for a new Louis Vuitton factory near Dallas, Texas.
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