Did Karoline Leavitt Compete In Miss South Carolina Pageant? The Viral Rumors, Debunked

Every political figure has to get their start somewhere. Though many politicians and officials set their sights on launching their political careers from the get-go, some, including President Donald Trump, have roots in entertainment. While certain spectators are still in disbelief about President Trump's reality TV days (and his eye-watering salary demands for "The Apprentice"), TikTok users think they unearthed an even larger skeleton from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's closet.

A TikTok clip posted on February 13, 2025 showed a throwback from a Miss Teen USA pageant, featuring a long-winded answer from Miss Teen South Carolina. The caption implied that Leavitt was the contestant in the video, who's blonde hair and youthful glow seemingly provided enough evidence of that for TikTok users. "Oh my God!" one commenter wrote. "This is her! I didn't know this was her! Lord have mercy!" Others compared the contestant's nonsensical response in the clip to how Leavitt delivers her televised addresses today. "Omg this is exactly how she sounds on tv," another user wrote. "Complete bs when she talks." 

However, the notion that the current press secretary was once Miss Teen South Carolina is nothing but a bad case of the Mandela Effect, and a pageant circuit run was never part of Leavitt's glamorous transformation.

As much as some would have a good chuckle at the thought of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt competing in the Miss Teen USA pageant, there are a few holes in TikTok users' claims she was the contestant in the February 2025 clip. Firstly, it would be an amazing feat if Leavitt earned the Miss Teen South Carolina mantle, considering she was born and raised in New Hampshire. "Saved by the Bell" fans may also have noticed that actor Mario Lopez looked remarkably young hosting the pageant. That's because the contest in question was the Miss Teen USA 2007, and unless the teen-centered pageant included 10-year-olds, Leavitt, who was born in 1997, would not have been able to compete. 

The real contestant TikTok users believed was Leavitt was Caite Upton, who placed as the third runner-up that year, and whose nonsensical speech became an internet meme. However, Upton spoke up after Vice President JD Vance shared that same clip on X, formerly Twitter, in August 2024 and joked it was Kamala Harris talking to CNN. Per The Post and Courier, Upton condemned cyberbullying in a post before subsequently deleting her X account. Vance hit a new level of weird when he wouldn't apologize to Upton.

Those wondering what Leavitt was really up to before her press secretary stint could be redirected to her Instagram, which offers a peek into her teen years and college life (though Leavitt is unrecognizable in snapshots from college). She may not have been competing in a beauty pageant, but Leavitt still was living life to the fullest taking in the Grand Canyon, exploring London, and dipping her toes into the political world working for Fox News, among other activities.