Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy didn’t hold back when confronted by a conservative reporter over his signature military-style attire during a high-stakes meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.
Brian Glenn, White House correspondent for Real America’s Voice, pressed Zelenskyy on why he refused to wear a traditional suit, suggesting that his outfit was “disrespectful” to the office of the presidency. The tense exchange quickly escalated as Glenn repeated his question multiple times.
“Why don’t you wear a suit? You’re at the highest level in this country’s office, and you refuse to wear a suit. Just wanna see, do you own a suit?” Glenn asked.
Zelenskyy, visibly unimpressed, shot back, “Do you have a problem?”
Glenn continued to push, claiming, “A lot of Americans have problems with you not respecting this office.”
Without hesitation, Zelenskyy delivered a sharp response: “I will wear a costume after this war will finish.”
The room fell into an awkward silence as Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance remained quiet. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, present at the meeting, appeared visibly serious during the tense moment.
Social media erupted following the exchange, with many users calling out what they saw as a double standard. Critics were quick to point out that billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk had attended a Cabinet meeting earlier in the week wearing a dark MAGA baseball cap and a t-shirt reading “Tech Support,” yet faced no criticism over his attire.
Adding fuel to the fire, the overall tone of the meeting raised eyebrows. Some observers noted that both Trump and Vance seemed to set a hostile tone toward Zelenskyy, particularly when discussing Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia. At one point, Vance labeled Zelenskyy “disrespectful” after the Ukrainian leader called out Russia for failing to honor diplomatic agreements.
“He killed our people, and he didn’t exchange prisoners,” Zelenskyy said, referencing Russian President Vladimir Putin. “What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about? What do you mean?”
Vance dismissed the comment, replying, “I think it’s disrespectful to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media.”
The heated encounter has only intensified the already complex political debate surrounding U.S.-Ukraine relations, drawing strong reactions from both sides of the aisle.
