A visual element dominated the attention during Monday’s meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House: their attire. The Ukrainian president’s choice to wear a suit-style jacket and black shirt marked a significant difference from his controversial visit at the end of February, which featured a clearly military style.
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In fact, the black shirt he wore on that occasion would have made Trump and particularly Vice President JD Vance uncomfortable, according to The Wall Street Journal, who criticized his outfit.
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Why was Zelensky’s suit so important for the White House?
Sources close to Axios revealed that the White House had previously requested Zelensky to wear a suit and tie for the official meeting on Monday with Donald Trump. The request was in response to the expectation of a higher visual protocol for a high-level meeting in Washington, which also involved the main European leaders.
An advisor to the US president commented before the event that if Zelensky wore a suit, “it would be a good sign for peace,” although he admitted they were not expecting him to do so.
Against that forecast, the President of Ukraine appeared at the White House around 1 pm on Monday wearing a black jacket that resembled the cut of a formal suit and a shirt of the same color, although without a tie. During the greeting in front of the cameras, Trump commented on the clothing choice of his Ukrainian counterpart. Zelensky replied: “It’s the best I have,” to which Trump replied: “I can’t believe it, I love it.”
Brian Glenn, a journalist from the conservative outlet Real America’s Voice, who had previously criticized Zelensky’s appearance during his visit to Washington D.C., this time praised his style with a “You look fabulous in that suit.” Trump, upon hearing the comment, added, “I said the same thing.”
Unlike the embarrassing incident in February, when Trump and Vance criticized Zelensky in the Oval Office in front of cameras and accused him of being disrespectful, this time there was great cordiality between the presidents of the United States and Ukraine to discuss ways to end the war caused by the Russian invasion. Additionally, Zelensky was very careful in choosing his words not to contradict Trump and constantly thanked him. Vice President Vance hardly spoke on this occasion.
The military option in Zelensky’s suits
Before becoming president, Zelensky had a much more diverse wardrobe. As a former comedian and entertainment figure in Ukraine, he used to appear on television in custom-made suits or themed costumes depending on the character he was playing, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
During the 2019 presidential campaign, Zelensky began to adopt a more sober and conventional style, but after the Russian invasion, his public image came to be dominated by military uniforms, in a clear gesture of alignment with Ukrainian soldiers and the state of war. Since then, he has repeatedly stated that he will not dress formally again until Ukraine regains peace.
In that controversial visit on February 28th, the correspondent Brian Glenn directly asked the Ukrainian president if he owned a suit, implying that his attire was not appropriate for the position he holds. Zelensky then responded: "I will wear a suit again once this war is over."
According to Axios, Trump believes that world leaders should project an “appropriate” image, which includes wearing a suit and tie.