10
Loading video...
By Aila Slisco
Writer
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Washington, D.C., is being panned by conservatives who are critiquing his choice of wardrobe.
Zelensky was denounced by conservatives on social media for not wearing a suit while visiting with President Joe Biden on Wednesday. Although foreign heads of state typically wear somewhat more formal clothing while visiting the White House, Zelensky donned military fatigues for the visit, as he has done during nearly all of his public appearances since Ukraine's war with Russia began in February.
The Ukrainian president's visit to Washington comes as U.S. lawmakers consider a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill that includes an additional $45 billion in military aid to Ukraine, which some conservatives oppose. Donald Trump Jr. was among those slamming Zelensky, calling him a "welfare queen" on Wednesday morning. A few hours later, Zelensky's supposedly "disrespectful" attire was the focus of right-wing discourse.
Read More
Everything We Know About Zelensky’s Secret Route to and From the U.S.3 min read
Fact Check: Did Zelensky’s Wife Go on $40K Shopping Spree in Paris?8 min read
Zelensky U.S. Visit Underscores Risk of Americans Souring on War4 min read
...
"This ungrateful piece of s*** does not have the decency to wear a suit to the White House -- no respect the country that is funding his survival," Newsmax host Benny Johnson tweeted. "Track suit wearing eastern european con-man mafia. Our leaders fell for it. They have disgraced us all. What an incredible insult."
"I know there's a war, but #Zelensky isn't under fire," tweeted financial commentator Peter Schiff. "He flew to the U.S. aboard a U.S. government private jet, arrived at the White House in a Chauffeur Driven SUV, yet showed up wearing a sweatshirt. It's better than a t-shirt, but I still maintain the proper attire is a suit."
"Zelensky arrives at the White House to demand more support than $45B aid in the omnibus bill," tweeted Wendell Husebo, writer for the conservative news website Breitbart. "For $45B, show some respect and rent a suit."
"Zelensky flies all the way to the US, but still can't put on a suit," Breitbart politics editor Emma-Jo Morris tweeted. "Circus."
"Zelensky can pose in fashion magazines during war, but he dresses in 'war casual' to the White House?" tweeted writer and podcaster V.F. Castro.
"Zelensky can't wear a suit to the White House?" tweeted Libby Emmons, editor-in-chief of conservative news website The Post Millennial.
Not all commentators agreed, however. Rick Wilson, Republican strategist and Lincoln Project co-founder, said in a tweet that those lashing out at Zelensky over "bull**** about money or respect or whether he wears a suit" were actually supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin and "want America on the other side in this war."
David A. French, senior editor of The Dispatch, an outlet that says it is informed by conservative principles, called the critiques of Zelensky's attire "absurd." He noted the reason behind the clothes was to serve as a reminder that he's coming "straight from a war," and related it to former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill not wearing a suit when he visited the White House during World War II.
Roger Moorhouse, a British historian, advised people upset about Zelensky's clothes to "get a grip", and Shadi Hamid, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, called the discussion one of the "dumbest Twitter subgenres in history."
Fox News host and former White House correspondent John Roberts said during a broadcast that he had "been to a lot of those diplomatic entrance arrivals" and "never seen somebody show up" wearing the type of clothes Zelensky had on. He also pointed out that the Ukrainian president wore a similar outfit during a visit to war-torn Bakhmut on Tuesday.
Roberts added: "Zelensky has been moving around an awful lot in the last 24 to 48 hours, and really has become the face of resistance against the Russian army there in Ukraine, and around the world as well, and continuing today with that same look, if you will, that we have seen him in for the last 300 plus days."
Wednesday was not the first time Zelensky has been called out over not wearing a suit while engaging with the U.S. government. When Zelensky remotely addressed Congress in March, Schiff also argued that the Ukrainian president's choice of clothing showed a lack of "respect."
Newsweek has reached out to the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington, D.C., for comment.
Updated 12/22/22, 12:57 p.m. ET and 12/23/22, 5.33am ET: This article was updated with further comments.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines