Trump Criticized as "Disrespectful" for Wearing Blue Suit and US Pin in Defiance of Protocol at Pope's Funeral

Funeral Mass Held at St. Peter's Square on the 26th
Appeared in Blue Suit and Blue Tie

US President Donald Trump sparked controversy by attending the funeral of Pope Francis dressed in a blue suit and blue tie.

US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump are attending the funeral of Pope Francis held at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican on the 26th. Photo by Reuters

On the 26th (local time), a funeral Mass for the Pope was held at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican. The funeral Mass, attended by 200,000 mourners, was presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, and was concelebrated by cardinals, bishops, and priests from around the world. Delegations from more than 130 countries attended, including President Trump, Argentine President Javier Milei, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, King Felipe VI of Spain, and Queen Mathilde of Belgium.

President Trump sat in the very front row of the VIP section with his wife, Melania, who is a Catholic. Breaking with the traditional Vatican protocol of seating guests in alphabetical order by their French names, the Holy See made an exception to seat President Trump in the front row.

U.S. President Donald Trump and his wife Melania are attending the funeral of Pope Francis held on the 26th at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican. Photo by Reuters

Despite this special accommodation, President Trump wore a blue suit and blue tie, which is considered unusual attire for a funeral. The Vatican requires male attendees at funerals to wear a black suit, black tie, and a black badge on the left lapel. However, President Trump did not follow these rules and instead wore an American flag pin.

While President Trump's wife, Melania, was generally seen as appropriately dressed in a black veil and black coat, some criticized her choice of light peach stockings instead of black ones, saying it was not suitable for such a solemn occasion. There were also comparisons to Queen Letizia of Spain, who was seated in the same row and wore black stockings.

During his lifetime, Pope Francis and President Trump had opposing views on immigration policy. When the Trump administration built a wall along the US-Mexico border, the Pope criticized the move, saying, "A person who only wants to build walls and not bridges is not a Christian." President Trump responded to the Pope's remarks by saying, "It is a disgrace for a religious leader to question someone's faith."