White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is back in the headlines. This time, not for her defense of Donald Trump’s latest protest crackdown but for a viral beauty blunder that’s hard to unsee. Leavitt, known for her combative podium persona and staunch MAGA loyalty, posted a photo on X (formerly Twitter) with internet sleuths and beauty bloggers wincing and wondering: even if it was two years ago, how did this get posted?
Dressed sharply in a rose-red blazer and lipstick to match, Leavitt’s Newsmax debut should’ve been a win. What was supposed to be a glamorous moment turned into a disaster. It looked like someone had a major mascara or eyeliner fail, like something you’d see in a meme.
📺Coming up on Wake Up America @NEWSMAX… tune in! pic.twitter.com/wuDqj2sQgf
— Karoline Leavitt (@karolineleavitt) May 3, 2023
This big, black spot in one eye just screamed for attention. It wasn’t the smokey eye look, but more like someone had a run-in with a marker and got messy. It wasn’t a one-time thing, either. The mark also made some past appearances, which made it even more cringeworthy.
Critics dubbed it the “clown-face.” And the name stuck.
Karoline Leavitt’s Eye Area Is a Repeat Offender
This isn’t Leavitt’s first eye makeup debacle. A quick scroll through her Instagram shows a recurring issue: one side of her eye makeup always seems… off.
A photo op with Kim Kardashian showed the same dark blotch under her right eye. While Kim sported oversized shades that conveniently shielded her features, Leavitt wore her look proudly, though many think unintentionally.
View this post on Instagram
That pesky smudge popped up again in her holiday selfie with her dad. Everyone is guessing if it’s a wayward eyeliner stroke, a mascara mishap, or a filter playing tricks. It’s got people talking; some say it’s a gutsy move if it’s on purpose. But if it’s a whoopsie-daisy, someone should give her a heads-up.
Aside from the random blotch, Leavitt’s overly filled-in brows also raised eyebrows. Literally! The over-the-top, overly dramatic eyebrows didn’t match the sleek style of her outfit, making it seem like her fashion team was present, but her makeup crew had the day off.
Press Room Fires Meet Makeup Flare-Ups
As people online were poking fun at Karoline Leavitt’s makeup, she was causing a stir in the White House briefing room too. A few days before that, she had a tiff with a journalist who questioned if Trump was okay with protests during the military parade in D.C.
Leavitt retorted, “What a stupid question,” before saying again that the president was all for “peaceful protests.” However, Trump’s earlier comments about bringing a “very big force” to deal with protesters suggested something else entirely.
NEW: White House reporter visibly flustered after Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt calls her question “stupid.”
Reporter: Will President Trump allow peaceful protests at the military parade on Saturday?
Leavitt: “Of course the President supports peaceful protests. What a stupid… pic.twitter.com/9D7tVNg9MQ
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 11, 2025
The two sides of Karoline Leavitt (the fiery media personality and the unintentional meme) have turned her into someone people either love or hate. One minute, she’s backing up Trump’s decision to send Marines to deal with protesters in LA. Next, she’s accidentally all over the internet because of what looks like a raccoon eye smudge on live TV.
And whether she wanted to or not, that iconic Newsmax snap went viral, even in the big 2025. The internet looked at her and knew that was the real Karoline Leavitt: raw, unfiltered, and maybe a tad oblivious.
