The Ukrainian leader’s choice of wardrobe on the historic day was harshly criticized by U.S. conservative pundits, who questioned whether Zelensky should have worn a more formal attire—suit and tie—to address Congress and meet President Joe Biden in Washington.
For many right-wing pundits and conservative commentators, Zelenksy’s choice to wear military fatigues in Washington was a sign of disrespect, and “an incredible insult,” as Newsmax host Benny Johnson described it in a tweet on Wednesday.
Others—including Breitbart writer Wendell Husebo and financial commentator Peter Schiff—complained that Zelensky made the effort of flying across the Atlantic, but couldn’t show up wearing the “proper attire.”
While many conservatives raged against Zelensky over his decision to appear at such a high-profile meeting wearing “war casual,” as writer and podcaster V.F. Castro described it, others drew a parallel between the Ukrainian leader’s attire and Winston Churchill’s historic appearance at a White House during World War II in a siren suit.
“If you’re upset by Zelensky in his olive drab fatigues today, wait till you see Winston Churchill wearing his air raid outfit to the White House,” wrote a Twitter user sharing historic images of Churchill visiting the White House in 1941.
“This is what Churchill wore to the White House during WWII,” tweeted journalist Jacob Rubashkin.
In December 1941, as the war raged on in Europe, the then-British Prime Minister visited the White House wearing a practical, military-style one-piece item of clothing—the siren suit, or “romper suit,” as Churchill preferred to call it—which he often wore during the years of war.
The idea behind the siren suit was that Churchill could easily slip it over his clothes in the event of an air raid, which were common in London and the rest of the U.K. between 1940 and 1941—but the suit became more of a symbol than just a practical piece of clothing.
The same can be said for Zelensky’s “uniform,” the army-green T-shirts and sweatshirts he’s been wearing during public appearances since the beginning of the war.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, Zelensky has quickly shed the uniform of the politician—suit and tie—to embrace a style of clothing that put him closer to Ukrainians fighting off Russian troops.
Zelensky has stuck to this attire—a statement of solidarity with the Ukrainian people—through high-profile interviews, official speeches (including to the European and the British Parliament) and his recent visit to the front-line city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk oblast.
