President Trump offered a lighthearted compliment to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during their much-anticipated meeting in the White House Cabinet Room, where top advisers from both countries were also present.
This time, Zelensky opted against his usual military-style look, choosing instead to wear a dark shirt paired with a jacket — though still not a full suit. Trump noticed immediately and made a point of praising the choice.
“Thank you. And I think he looks beautiful in this jacket. It’s beautiful. I hope people notice. It’s very stylish,” Trump remarked after Zelensky’s opening comments.
Zelensky’s wardrobe had sparked criticism earlier in the year when he appeared at the White House without a jacket during a tense session with Trump and Vice President JD Vance — a meeting that quickly devolved into heated exchanges.
Even before that visit, his decision to skip traditional formal wear had drawn attention. “Why don’t you wear a suit? You’re in the highest level of this country’s office, and you refuse to wear a suit? I just want to see, do you own a suit?” Brian Glenn, White House bureau chief for Real America’s Voice, asked Zelensky pointedly at the time.
When Zelensky returned to Washington in August, he appeared more polished, sporting a coordinated coat and shirt ensemble, though he still skipped the tie. “President Zelensky, you look fabulous in that suit,” Glenn said after Trump called on him for a question in the Oval Office. “You look good.”
“I said the same thing,” Trump added with a smile. “And he’s the one that attacked you last time.”
Following the tense February exchange, the dynamic between Trump and Zelensky has visibly improved, with both leaders now projecting a far friendlier rapport in public appearances.
{Matzav.com}
