United States President, Donald Trump, on Friday, praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s outfit during their meeting at the White House, calling his jacket “very stylish.”
The two leaders met in the Cabinet Room for what was described as a highly anticipated session with senior aides from both sides. Zelensky, known for his trademark dark military-style shirts, opted this time for a suit jacket, though without a tie.
Trump appeared visibly impressed. “Thank you. And I think he looks beautiful in this jacket. It’s beautiful. I hope people notice. It’s very stylish,” the US president said after Zelensky spoke.
LEADERSHIP reports that the lighthearted exchange contrasted sharply with the pair’s tensed February meeting when Zelensky drew criticism from conservative commentators for showing up without a jacket.
At the time, Brian Glenn, White House bureau chief for the right-leaning Real America’s Voice network, had pressed Zelensky on his choice of attire.
“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?” Glenn had asked.
When Zelensky returned to the White House in August, he appeared to take note of the earlier uproar, wearing a matching coat and shirt—again without a tie. The wardrobe upgrade drew praise from the same reporter who had questioned him months earlier.
“President Zelensky, you look fabulous in that suit,” Glenn told him during the Oval Office press session. Trump immediately interjected with a laugh: “I said the same thing. And he’s the one that attacked you last time.”
The friendly tone surrounding Friday’s engagement signalled what observers described as a “warming trend” between the two leaders, following their rocky start earlier in the year.
