Trump-Zelensky summit: The suit question, again
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Zelensky puts on a jacket for the NATO summit in June. Photo: Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images
The White House asked Ukrainian officials if President Volodymyr Zelensky will wear a suit to his meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office on Monday, two sources with direct knowledge tell Axios.
Why it matters: Zelensky's outfit became an issue ahead of his previous Oval Office meeting with Trump in March, which exploded into a diplomatic fiasco.
Flashback: Trump didn't like Zelensky's military-style attire. He offered a sarcastic aside — "he is all dressed up today" — when he welcomed him into the West Wing.
- Some U.S. officials thought at the time that the suit issue contributed somewhat to the disastrous outcome of the meeting.
What to watch: The sources said Zelensky will show up at the White House on Monday wearing the same black jacket he wore to a NATO summit in the Netherlands in June. "It is going to be 'suit-style' but not a full suit," one of the sources said.
- The NATO summit was the first time Zelensky had worn a business-style jacket since the 2022 invasion, and U.S. officials said that Trump was pleased by it.
- "Zelensky came like a normal human being, not crazy, and was dressed like a somebody that should be at NATO. ... So they had a good conversation," a U.S. official told Axios at the time.
The other side: One Trump adviser, partially in jest, told Axios that "it would be a good sign for peace" if Zelensky wore a suit on Monday, but added: "We don't expect him to do it."
- Said another: "It would be great if he wore a tie but we don't expect him to."
- The source added that Vice President Vance was more annoyed than Trump by Zelensky's look and attitude the last time around. "The tie thing was a JD thing when it first happened."
- Zelensky won't wear a tie on Monday, the sources said.
Between the lines: Trump is a big believer looking the part, which in his mind, for a world leader, means wearing a suit. But his displeasure with Zelensky last time was about more than his clothes, his advisers say.
- U.S. officials say he has gotten better at appealing to Trump.
- "Give him some credit. He's not as bad as he used to be," the second Trump adviser said.
The intrigue: Asked if the summit will be a repeat of the last time, the adviser said, "No, absolutely not."
- "They've traveled very, very far, both of them. Zelensky will not show him pictures of dead children and then act like it's somehow his fault. The president has learned to just sort of like, you know, file away any irritations and go forward."
- Zelensky will also have European leaders alongside him as well, the adviser said, "so it will be a very different complexion than the last meeting."
