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Pete Hegseth’s Wife Faces Backlash Over “Temu” Dress For White House Correspondents’ Dinner
The internet exercised its favorite sport of spotting hypocrisy. And Pete Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer Rauchet, was the latest target.
The 2026 White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner brought together some of the most powerful figures in politics, media, and entertainment at the Washington Hilton on April 25.
But business did not go on as usual. The evening took a dramatic turn when an armed man stormed the area outside the ballroom, leading to high-profile attendees being evacuated.
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Highlights
- Pete Hegseth and his wife Jennifer Rauchet were among the attendees at the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner.
- 18-year-old content creator Ella Devi said Jennifer’s outfit choice showed her hypocrisy.
- Jennifer is “married to the ‘America first’ guy” and should be wearing American designers, the content creator said.
Pete Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer Rauchet, were among the attendees at the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner
Image credits: Eric Brann/DoW
The big night in Washington saw guests like President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and several Cabinet members gather at the Washington venue.
Among them was Pete Hegseth, who attended alongside his wife, Jennifer Rauchet.
Photos showed the US Secretary of Defense and his wife arriving together and posing on the red carpet.
Image credits: Gage Skidmore/Flickr
Jennifer faced unexpected online scrutiny after 18-year-old content creator Ella Devi claimed the dress was from Temu.
“Pete Hegeseth’s wife wore a dress from Temu to the white house correspondents’ dinner (I’m not joking),” she wrote, sharing a picture of the couple beside another snap of the dress, seemingly listed on the online marketplace.
18-year-old content creator Ella Devi said Jennifer’s outfit choice showed her hypocrisy
Image credits: ellad3vi
Viewers were quick to jump onto her comments section with their own two cents on the matter, with one saying, it’s “probably from a local right-wing boutique just reselling Temu items.”
“I feel bad for her, her husband is filthy rich and doesn’t buy her a nice dress … She needs to leave his stingy a**,” one claimed.
Ella claimed the dress was from the online marketplace Temu
Image credits: ellad3vi
Image credits: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Image credits: ellad3vi
Another wrote, “You’re upset when they wear expensive designer gowns, now you’re upset at her buying a dress that’s affordable? What can they do to appease you?”
“Regardless of where she sourced the dress, she looks absolutely lovely in it,” said another.
Image credits: Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery
Image credits: BakuninsStick
Some accused Chinese-founded companies like Temu and Shein of copying designs.
“i mean temu probably ripped it off some designer but whatever helps you sleep sis,” one commented on Ella’s tweet.
The X user, with 24K followers, responded to the similar comments and said, “wah wah wah temu steals designs!” a) THIS dress design ORIGINATED on temu/shein b) hard for me to believe it’s not from temu given that the primary retailers of her bag are amazon and aliexpress.”
The teen influencer had a message to those claiming Temu must have copied the design from another website
Image credits: ellad3vi
Image credits: ellad3vi
Some netizens, including Ella, claimed Jennifer’s outfit wasn’t exactly screaming “America First,” a slogan long championed by the Trump administration and often echoed by her husband, Pete.
“If you’re married to the ‘America first’ guy (idiot), you should probably only wear American designers and not anything imported from China,” Ella wrote.
“Also applies to Melania Trump, who breaks tradition as first lady by rarely wearing American designers,” she added.
Ella said Jennifer is “married to the ‘America first’ guy” and should be wearing American designers
Image credits: ellad3vi
Image credits: Gage Skidmore/Flickr
Image credits: HRHForeverr
The teen influencer leans towards left-wing politics and is known for her penchant for high-end fashion.
She first went viral for supporting NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani last year, leading to the internet bestowing her with the “hot girl for Zohran.”
The self-proclaimed “socialist socialite” often shares videos that blend fashion with political opinions.
Image credits: ellad3vi
Image credits: Paul Morigi/Getty Images
Image credits: Itsagooddaytob3
In her TikTok videos, she is often seen wearing vintage designer pieces worth thousands of dollars from Miu Miu, Chanel, and Tom Ford, and flaunts a lavish New York City lifestyle.
She explained in one video why a person cannot be Republican and dress like Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and in another video, she critiqued Sydney Sweeney’s fashion choices during the latest season of Euphoria.
Image credits: ellad3vi
“How does one call themselves a socialist though while simultaneously being deeply invested in status and exclusivity,” a social media user recently commented on her content. “The tone of her tweets is very pretentious.”
“She’s been hating MAGA Barbie Sydney Sweeney, which I don’t give a f***, but to act like she’s the best dressed in NYC just because her wardrobe is vintage is laughable,” said another.
Image credits: ellad3vi
Others showed support, saying, “Eh I’d rather have this then another MAGA Barbie to be honest, maybe she’ll influence some young girls.”
“I love her other takes; she’s super antiracist and feminist in an industry that really needs it,” said another.
Netizens had mixed reactions to Ella Devi’s recent comments on Jennifer Rauchet’s dress
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