The Bizarre Way Trump’s Allies Are Showing Loyalty to Him
Trump’s untailored blue suit, white shirt, and extra-long red tie have become a symbol of the former president’s first criminal trial—so much so that the sycophants vying for his favor have all adopted the same look.
On Monday, more of Trump’s allies appeared outside of the New York courthouse hosting his hush-money trial, all donning the same outfit and looking more like a small army of minions than independently minded authorities. Monday’s batch included former NYC Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik, former Georgia State Representative Vernon Jones, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, and Representative Eric Burlison—all sporting the same blue suit and red tie that is the trademark of their party’s chief.
Over the last week, dozens of the country’s biggest lawmakers and politicians have shown up outside of the criminal court to visually represent their solidarity alongside the criminally charged presidential nominee, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, and Senators Tim Scott, J.D. Vance, and Tommy Tuberville.
???? Joining Donald Trump in court today:
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) May 20, 2024
-Vernon Jones
-Kash Patel
-Alan Dershowitz
-Bernie Kerik
-AG Alan Wilson
-Rep. Mary Miller
-Rep. Eric Burlison
-Rep. Andrew Clyde
-Rep. Keith Self
-John Coale
-Will Scharf
-Steve Witkoff
-Jerry Kassar
-Chuck Zito pic.twitter.com/vXAKDgRae4
Biotech investor Vivek Ramaswamy, RNC co-chair Lara Trump, and Eric Trump and two Republican representatives also donned the outfit on Tuesday to film a campaign ad for the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.
Things are not going so well for the red tie brigade https://t.co/bBAkNVpP6d pic.twitter.com/RHhtGOZhRe
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) May 20, 2024
But even though his surrogates have referred to Trump as a “style icon,” fashion critics don’t quite agree. Instead, they argue that Trump’s staple courtroom attire is both too heavy and too slim in all the wrong places.
“They are always a little too roomy, the sleeves a tad too long,” wrote The Washington Post’s Robin Givhan in 2015.
“For a man who is quick to tout his financial status, Trump’s style doesn’t telegraph money. It doesn’t look luxurious; it’s hardly elevated,” Givhan continued, noting that despite the quality fabrics used for Trump’s suits, a lack of detail for its tailoring makes the fits look “cheap.”
“He makes ties look sloppy.”
Trump has a long history of fashion faux pas and for making waves in all the wrong places. In 2017, the former president was caught taping his ties together in order to achieve the strange elongated look. And in a desperate bid to make some quick cash after losing his bank fraud trial in February, Trump formally entered the fashion marketplace, announcing a new line of Trump-branded sneakers—gold high-tops that retailed for $399 a pop.
But besides the orange fake tan, Trump’s hair has, arguably, been his biggest flop. Even though the wispy comb-over has been known to fly off his head, Trump won’t swap the style. In her documentary, porn star Stormy Daniels claimed Trump had odd superstitions about his unusual coif, alleging that the former reality TV star said he believed his power rested in his hair and that cutting it off or changing the style could compromise that.