Donald Trump was branded a hypocrite for deciding to break with tradition by wearing a blue suit at the Pope’s funeral, while most other world leaders donned respectful black outfits
Donald Trump could be seen as a hypocrite for his bizarre choice to wear an “inappropriate” blue suit to Pope Francis’ funeral. The US President arrived in Rome with his First Lady Melania Trump, who wore black and traditionally covered her hair with a black scarf, but the Commander-in-chief chose to shy away from tradition today.
Some of the world’s most powerful and important people gathered in St. Peter’s Square to show their respect for the late pontiff, who died last week from a stroke. Trump however caught the eyes of people watching the funeral as he was branded “disrespectful” by people raging at his odd choice online.
Body language expert Judi James has told the Mirror that Trump’s blue suit suggested the US President did not show the appropriate respect to Pope Francis at the funeral. The expert said: “The blue suit and the skewed tie did suggest it was another day at the office for Trump.”
Judi pointed that Trump has proven he sees clothes as a statement, after he bashed Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky – during their shocking row at the Oval Office in February – for not wearing a suit, despite his country being in the middle of a war.
Judi added: “It is of course traditional to wear black to a funeral and Melania seems to have been happy to comply, but Trump was dressed in this lighter shade of blue when even a deeper, darker shade of navy might have been seen as more appropriate; especially from a man who, thanks to the altercation with Zelensky in the Oval office, sees clothing as a sign of respect.”
The US President joined the likes of Prime Minister Keir Starmer and 52 other heads of state, as well as 12 reigning sovereigns, to mark the passing of Pope Francis at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome today. While every other attendee was respectful of the gravity of the situation, Trump at times appeared bored and was even spotted playing with his phone. However, his wife and practicing Catholic, First Lady Melania, appeared rapt with attention.
The awful behaviour was quickly picked up on among social media users. One person commented online: “What’s Donald Trump doing on his phone while attending the Pope’s funeral?” Another added: “At such a time of such a sacred ceremony, Donald Trump doesn’t have enough sense to turn off his phone. He’s distracted. He’s distracting, he’s destructive, praise Lord save us from him.”
Another person added: “No one looked at his mobile phone like Donald Trump during the ceremony, like an uneducated turbulent teenager.” The US President and First Lady were caught on camera engaging in a brief exchange during the service. A lip-reading expert later worked out what the world leader was saying.
