Pete Hegseth's wife under fire after wearing Temu dress at White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Jennifer Rauchet, the wife of US defence secretary Pete Hegseth, has sparked debate after reportedly wearing a fast fashion dress to the White House correspondents’ dinner.

According to The Guardian, Rauchet’s gown closely resembled designs sold on Shein and Temu at low prices, drawing criticism online due to the administration’s nationalist stance and ongoing tensions with China.

Social media reaction quickly intensified as influencer Ella Devi wrote: “peter hegeseth’s [sic] wife wore a dress from temu to the white house correspondents dinner (I’m not joking).”

Fashion watchdog Diet Prada also weighed in, stating: “Pete Hegseth’s wife wore fast fashion from overseas … despite her party’s nationalist ideologies.”

Others pushed back against the criticism. Political activist Laura Loomer defended Rauchet, saying: “She looks amazing. I thought the left was about ‘eating the rich?’ Now you want to dunk on someone who didn’t waste $10,000 on a dress they will only ever wear once.”

Sustainable fashion expert Aja Barber told The Guardian the reaction reflects broader political divisions.

“Their crimes are many and wearing a dress from a sweatshop is among them. But, generally, our society should actually just take it seriously, even when it’s not someone who is serving in a fascist dictatorship administration”, she said.