Karoline Leavitt uploads a cheerful Instagram snap, showing off her armful of popular Korean beauty products while tagging along with Trump in Korea. Her post goes viral, with fans calling her genuinely relatable. Comments gush: Thank you to this American girl for the free K-Beauty ad! Word is, sales of these brands tripled overnight.
Who’s Leavitt, anyway? She’s the White House Press Secretary, just 28 years old. As Trump puts it, “She's a star, and she's great. I don't think anybody has ever had a better press secretary than Karoline. She's been amazing.” Leavitt also made headlines for becoming the first U.S. government spokesperson to hit reporters with a cheeky “Your mom!” when asked a serious question.
Leavitt’s Korean honeymoon lasted all of three days. Suddenly, she’s under fire—not for another “mom” diss, but because her K-Beauty shopping spree was, apparently, too much. Angry voices thundered: Millions of Americans are still scrambling for their next meal, and you’re a White House bigshot flaunting your haul? Disgusting! Remember, Leavitt’s supposed to be a MAGA missionary—so the critics say, Hey, wasn’t it all about buying American? Why hype Korean brands? Of course, freedom-loving types jumped to her defense: She’s spending her own cash — what’s the problem? Still, it’s hard for some to swallow her snapping up so many high-value goodies abroad.
When “Shopping” Sends Political Shockwaves
Other voices chime in with more nuance: “It’s all Trump’s fault—his short-sighted trade war left no winners. U.S. prices keep climbing, so Leavitt, a White House official, jets off to Korea and snags budget K-Beauty products, while ordinary Americans are stuck with sky-high domestic prices. It’s miserable! Pay attention to how Americans actually feel.”
Former President Obama recently sounded alarm bells on social media: Over 47 million Americans are struggling with food insecurity, including a staggering 20% of children. His worry? The U.S. cost of living is spiraling, more families than ever are relying on relief, yet both major parties are locked in endless legal and political battles over aid. Obama warns: “Millions of kids, seniors, and low-income Americans will go hungry ahead of the holidays.”
Poverty Lines and Power Play
Poverty. It’s the first thing leaders should fix.
Let’s rewind a bit. Back at the start of Lunar New Year in 2021, on the eve of the Lantern Festival, China held a grand celebration. President Xi Jinping declared total victory in the nation’s fight against poverty—a feat he called a “miracle on earth.” When the BBC reported this, their tone was bittersweet. The stats quoted from Chinese officials were staggering: “All 98.99 million rural poor lifted out of poverty, all 832 impoverished counties delisted, all 128,000 poor villages off the map, and regional poverty solved.” The BBC then rolled out every metric and definition under the sun to analyze “poverty.”
But really, why try to read the Western mind? Forget it—let’s shift focus to Europe and America instead.
According to the BBC: “The UK will continue to see a big rise in the number of people living in poverty, a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has warned. The study said 2.2 million children and two million working age adults were living in absolute poverty in 2009–10. In percentage terms, 17% of UK children were living in absolute poverty in 2009–10. By 2012–13, the IFS predicts this will rise to 21.8%.” The report further explains: It’s all in how you define poverty.
So, what about the United States? There, poverty is measured similarly. American scholars have written that if judged by the UN’s absolute poverty line standard, most Euro-American countries would not have a single poor person. Yet in reality, even America—the world's largest economy—officially recognizes about 17% of its population as poor.
So, why juggle numbers and tweak definitions just to spin a prettier picture for yourself? Start with public sentiment instead. “Leavitt’s K-Beauty episode” is enough to capture America today. Think back—would anyone have cared about White House officials bargain hunting in Korea during the 1990s dot-com heyday?
America’s poverty may need “scientific” measurement, but one fact is obvious: Americans feel poor enough to resent it — wow!
Deep Blue
** 博客文章文責自負,不代表本公司立場 **
National leaders don't crack jokes in public for mere entertainment—they do it to send messages. And over this past weekend, foreign media caught President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung doing exactly that, joking about a certain superpower's use of technology to intrude into people’s privacy.
However, the American president wasn't laughing. In a CBS interview on Sunday, Trump was asked whether the US would "intervene" if Beijing launched a military attack on Taiwan. His response dripped with anger: "You’ll find out if it happens, and he understands the answer to that."
Trump then went further, claiming that “He (referring to Xi) has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘We would never do anything while President Trump is president’, because they know the consequences." Analysts reckon that because Taiwan reunification would spark US-China tensions, both leaders at the Busan summit seemingly dodged the issue on purpose, focusing instead on topics like the trade war.
The "Consequences" Trump Doesn't Want to Face
Here's another joke from a head of state—and the punchline is "consequences." What consequences exactly? China's reunification cause doesn't require American permission.
Fact number one: The Taiwan question involves the moral principles established after World War II reconstruction. As Article 2(4) of the UN Charter clearly states, "All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations." If the United States publicly refuses to acknowledge this, the consequences would be more than Trump can handle.
Fact number two: China is now strong enough to fend off any economic or technological containment launched by the US and the West. Consequences? Look at Russia—no need to elaborate further.
And lets not forget: there was once an unrealistic fantasy that exaggerated Trump's "art of the deal," believing he could strike a "great deal" with China, using Taiwan as a bargaining chip to extract maximum benefits for America. For God’s sake—is China's sovereignty something to be negotiated or traded? The British Iron Lady learned her lesson from China; those consequences can be quite severe indeed!
Those "China experts" at home and abroad might find some comfort in the fact that Trump appears to have made major moves on the eve of his meeting with President Xi—when deals don't work, resort to hardball tactics. The White House has called for resuming nuclear testing, which would undoubtedly trigger nuclear weapons competition among major powers, adding chaos and trouble to the international community.
Trump announced last Thursday: "Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately." Some say Trump's "nuclear order" was triggered by Russia's recent successful test-firing of a cruise missile with nuclear strike capability, but the US posture simultaneously targeting China is quite obvious. Why? In today's world, only three superpowers exist, and only China, the US, and Russia can play the nuclear missile game.
Xi's Phone Gift: A Public Mockery
The core of President Xi Jinping's joke this time was two Chinese-made phones presented to Lee Jae-myung—one for him and one for his wife. Both phones are manufactured by Xiaomi, and the significance lies in the fact that Xiaomi uses display screens produced in South Korea. The New York Times reported that Lee picked up one of the unopened phones and examined it carefully, then asked: "How secure is this phone?"
Xi laughed and said: "You can check if there’s a backdoor." He was referring to pre-installed software that allows third parties to monitor phones. Lee burst out laughing and even clapped his hands, appearing quite delighted.
What's the point of this joke? China's supreme leader publicly mocked the United States without mercy. What deeper meaning lies within? Simple: besides puncturing the myth of America, it openly treats the US as a paper tiger.
President Trump, please be cautious in your words and actions. China loves peace, but at the same time cannot be provoked. If the line is crossed, the situation will be difficult to handle.
