As world leaders gathered at St Peter's Basilica to bid farewell to Pope Francis on Saturday, Donald Trump's choice of outfit stood out.
While other world leaders were dressed in black, the US president broke from the Vatican's strict dress code for papal funerals with his blue suit and a light blue tie.
Indeed, funeral protocols for the Vatican call for men to wear a dark suit with a black tie and a black lapel button.
American criminal defence attorney and former state and federal prosecutor Ron Filipkowski took to X to comment: "One guy shows up in a blue suit to the pope's funeral. You will never guess who" - a clear jab at Trump.
Conversely, political strategist Joey Mannarino defended Trump by saying: "Trump at the pope's funeral is just exuding complete and total class. Absolutely the image America should be projecting to the world," adding in a subsequent post: “He looked slender, fit and about twenty years younger than his chronological age."
If you giggled - with a lingering sense of despair - at "chronological age," you're only human.
Granted, former US President Joe Biden and the UK’s Prince William also wore blue, but they donned dark navy suits that were suitably more muted. By comparison, Trump – with seating prominence - stood out like a sore thumb.
Maybe that was the point, as Trump has never been shy in his desire to hog the spotlight. But considering the event, many saw his choice of suit as inappropriate and uncouth. Plus, with that deeply awkward White House visit from Zelenskyy in February, during which the Ukranian president was criticised for not wearing “appropriate” Oval Office attire, you’d think that Trump would lead by example.
Wishful thinking, as it turns out.
Incidentally, Zelenskyy’s all-black look with a tailored field jacket - a change of pace for the leader who has kept on wearing his military ensemble as solidarity to the soldiers fighting in the war with Russia – may not have been a suit but was more in keeping with the Vatican’s dress code compared to Trump.
As for Melania Trump, the first lady adhered closely to traditional funeral protocol with her black dress and a black mantilla.
However, those willing to forgive or ignore the apparent style gaffe from Trump were less impressed by the disrespectful faux pas of stepping over the holy carpet – considered holy ground - in front of the pope’s coffin.
To make matters worse, Trump also reportedly left immediately after the ceremony, skipping the burial that followed.
So, what is there to be learned from this tailored talking point?
For those quick to call out a disrespectful break from diplomatic protocol that detracted from the solemnity of the ceremony, it is worth asking: What did you expect? There’s a whole separate article to write about Trump’s fashion blunders – from the length of his red ties to his ill-fitting suits, made all the worse by his posture.
Additionally, Trump has never been known for his decorum when it comes to funerals.
When he was not attending Barbara Bush’s funeral in 2018, he was making a scene at Jimmy Carter’s by politicising the event by not interacting with guests and complaining that the former US president’s death was a nuisance because flags would be at half-mast for his inauguration.
Hardly tactful behaviour.
As for those who defend Trump by saying that the blue suit was unconventional but hardly a diplomatic breach, that's fair enough. But maybe adhere to the following rule when it comes to funeral etiquette: While a black suit isn’t always compulsory and some more coloured clothing can symbolise the choice to celebrate life, it really is worth consulting the guidelines set out by the organisers of the event. If a specific dress code has been set, adhere to it.
Then, and only then, does a person exude “complete and total class”.
