Our President in Rome

The New York Times just can’t help itself…

By Vanessa Friedman

Vanessa Friedman is The Times’s chief fashion critic.

April 26, 2025, 11:24 a.m. ET

President Trump, it seems, is fully committed to going his own way when it comes to international relations — even during the funeral of a pope.

On Saturday, as he joined other world leaders to pay his respects to Pope Francis, he stood in St. Peter’s Square among President Emmanuel Macron of France (who was wearing black), Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain (in black), President Javier Milei of Argentina (in black) and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy (in black).

Mr. Trump? He was wearing blue.

And not even dark, midnight blue, but a clear, sapphire-like blue, with matching tie. Amid all the black and Cardinal red, it popped out like a sign.

The choice did not grossly violate the dress code for the event (which reportedly called for a dark suit with a black tie for men). Prince William also appeared to be wearing blue, though a shade closer to navy, and former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. wore a blue tie. But Mr. Trump’s look certainly skirted the edges.

It did not go unnoticed online, where social media users recalled that Mr. Trump had previously criticized President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine for not wearing a suit to a meeting in the Oval Office in February, appearing to see it as a sign of disrespect. (At the pope’s funeral, Mr. Zelensky, who met privately beforehand with Mr. Trump, wore a black military-style jacket and black pants.)

Asked to comment on Mr. Trump’s choice, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said, “The president looked great and presidential alongside our stunning first lady, who was, as usual, dressed perfectly for the occasion.”

For someone as keenly aware of the power of appearance as Mr. Trump, the suit was probably not a chance decision. Not, for example, a case of there being no clean dark options packed on Air Force One. Melania Trump, after all, was wearing a black coat (from Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana) and black veil, much like Brigitte Macron and Jill Biden.

And Mr. Trump owns a dark suit — he wore one to former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral in January.

But in this case, black might not have served his purposes. By contrast, Mr. Trump’s choice of deep sea blue was both immediately recognizable and seemed fully in line with his desire to telegraph that he is playing by no one’s rules but his own. Yet another effort to redefine old terms of engagement as he sees — well, fit.

By Lynsey Chutel

April 26, 2025, 9:20 a.m. ET

Among the tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday for Pope Francis’ funeral were monarchs, world leaders, at least one former president and other familiar faces.

Filling up the rows of nondescript chairs, according to Vatican protocol, reigning monarchs went first, including King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain. Then came heads of state, in alphabetical order according to the name of their country in French.

Only Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy and President Javier Milei of the pope’s native Argentina had priority seating toward the front.

Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron of France sat across an aisle from President Trump, and Melania Trump, the first lady, and the two presidents shook hands at one point in the service. Former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., a Catholic, sat farther away with Jill Biden, the former first lady.

Crowds watching on big screens around the square applauded when President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine took his seat. Leaders from Africa and Asia, regions where the Catholic Church is growing, also took their seats, including President William Ruto of Kenya and President Droupadi Murmu of India.

Other royals who aren’t heads of state, including Prince William, sat in a group just in front of visiting government ministers and other dignitaries.

Away from the world leaders, among the crowds, Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks who was imprisoned after his website published secret government documents in the 2010s, paid tribute to Francis with his family.

“Now Julian is free, we have all come to Rome to express our family’s gratitude for the Pope’s support during Julian’s persecution,” read a message on social media attributed to his wife, Stella Assange. The post said that the pope had written to Mr. Assange while he was in prison.

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