President Donald Trump, it seems, is fully committed to going his own way when it comes to international relations — even during the funeral of a pope.
On Saturday, as he joined other world leaders to pay his respects to Pope Francis, he stood in St. Peter’s Square among President Emmanuel Macron of France (who was wearing black), Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain (in black), President Javier Milei of Argentina (in black) and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy (in black).
Trump? He was wearing blue.
And not even dark, midnight blue, but a clear, sapphire-like blue, with matching tie. Amid all the black and cardinal red, it popped out like a sign.
The choice did not grossly violate the dress code for the event (which reportedly called for a dark suit with a black tie for men). Prince William also appeared to be wearing blue, though a shade closer to navy, and former President Joe Biden wore a blue tie. But Trump’s look certainly skirted the edges.
It did not go unnoticed online, where social media users recalled that Trump had previously criticized President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine for not wearing a suit to a meeting in the Oval Office in February, appearing to see it as a sign of disrespect. (At the pope’s funeral, Zelenskyy, who met privately beforehand with Trump, wore a black military-style jacket and black pants.)
Asked to comment on Trump’s choice, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said, “The president looked great and presidential alongside our stunning first lady, who was, as usual, dressed perfectly for the occasion.”
Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, chided those who criticized Trump, saying, “The president and first lady honored the life and service of Pope Francis, and those who try to distract from that should be ashamed of themselves.”
Story continues below this ad
For someone as keenly aware of the power of appearance as Trump, the suit was probably not a chance decision — not, for example, a case of there being no clean dark options packed on Air Force One. Melania Trump, after all, was wearing a black coat (from Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana) and black veil, much like Brigitte Macron and Jill Biden.
And Trump owns a dark suit; he wore one to former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral in January.
But in this case, black might not have served his purposes. By contrast, Trump’s choice of deep-sea blue was both immediately recognizable and seemed fully in line with his desire to telegraph that he is playing by no one’s rules but his own. Yet another effort to redefine old terms of engagement as he sees, well, fit.
