The Absolute Worst-Dressed At The 2025 White House Congressional Ball

'Tis the season for the White House Congressional Ball! Donald Trump was joined by his cronies and members of congress in the White House Grand Foyer on December 11 for the special event. Trump clearly took the event seriously, dressing in a tux with a bowtie and even setting his signature venom aside for the evening to spread kindness to both Republicans and Democrats... sort of. "We love the Republicans, and we love the Democrats; we love everybody else," Trump said during his speech, adding, "We love everybody, especially tonight — tomorrow, I'll have to deny I ever said that, but that's OK," per the New York Post. So, for one night and one night only, Trump briefly pretended to attempt to unite members of both political parties. Everyone joined together and dressed to the nines — for better or worse.

The White House Congressional Ball called for fancy attire. And, from the looks of photos of the event, folks took the elevated dress code seriously. Still, as we probably should have expected with this crowd, there were plenty of yawn-inspiring looks and a few that were totally off the wall. Sure — it wasn't a fashion show, and it wasn't a red carpet, but it was still fun to see how folks dressed for this night at the White House — even if their style choices gave us a bit of a laugh.

Amidst a sea of black and white, Rachel Campos-Duffy definitely didn't contribute to this boring color trend. Still, she managed to be the Congressional Ball's worst-dressed attendee. The Fox News star is no stranger to inappropriate outfits, but this dress was still a surprise since the bold, floral pattern was totally wrong for the season. Campos-Duffy may have thought that the green furry shrug added wintry vibes, but it just made her look like she was wearing a Christmas garland around her shoulders. 

Considering how often Karoline Leavitt dresses way older than she is, it's not a huge surprise that the 28-year-old press secretary sported this snooze-fest of a dress for the special occasion. Between the high neck, the long sleeves, the sequined top, and the big bow at the waist, this look was giving mother-of-the-bride vibes. And her hairstyle and black closed-toe shoes only made this look even worse. Something a bit more fun and festive would have suited her better.

Katie Miller seems to love a boring dress with an odd cutout. The podcaster was among the worst-dressed stars and politicians at the 48th Kennedy Center Honors mere days ago, thanks to a dress with similar traits. And, now, she's done it again with a black dress with strange cutouts around the bust that were surrounded by glitter and bows. To be fair, this look is better than the dress that landed her on her last worst-dressed list, but it's still not doing her any favors. 

Melania Trump accompanied Donald Trump to the podium at the Congressional Ball. The first lady wore a black pantsuit layered over a sheer black lace turtleneck top. This outfit definitely wasn't one of her worst outfits of 2025, but it did make us wonder if she has gotten rid of all of her clothes that aren't entirely black. Just a few days ago, she wore an all-black frumpy 'fit for a Christmas event at Children's National Hospital. For her New Year's resolution, Melania should avoid funeral outfits for festive events. 

It's easy to see why Lauren Boebert dressed in head-to-toe gold for the Congressional Ball: she wanted to match the tacky changes Donald Trump has made to the Oval Office! Unfortunately, just like all the gold-painted accents Trump has had added to the White House, Boebert's dress looks like something cheap that's trying to masquerade as high-end. The shiny body-con finish of her asymmetrical dress didn't help matters, and neither did her hair and makeup, which looked just like they normally do for a day at the office. 

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna wore a black and white gown for the occasion, but all we could focus on was that long, white cape. The white fabric was draped across the front of her black dress and then turned into a long train in the back. Something about this shape made it look like she tried to spice up her plain black dress by tucking her bedsheet into it. And, it didn't make her outfit look chic; it just made us feel ready for bed.