Fox News’ Peter Doocy put the White House on the spot Wednesday, questioning Elon Musk was permitted to dress casually in the Oval Office – just days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was slammed for his attire during a high-profile visit.
During a tense exchange with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Doocy pointedly asked: ‘We know that some officials here were mad that Zelensky showed up last week without a suit for his meeting in the Oval Office, but Elon Musk never wears a suit.’
Leavitt, initially smirking at the question, appeared momentarily caught off guard before quickly defending Musk’s wardrobe choices.
‘He did last night,’ she responded, referring to Musk’s appearance in formal attire at President Trump’s Tuesday night’s address to Congress.
But Doocy wasn’t satisfied, pressing further: ‘So what is the dress code?’
Musk, a major federal contractor and a key figure in the administration’s push to slash government spending, was seen walking through the White House last month in his signature casual style – sporting a ‘tech support’ t-shirt under a blazer.
Yet, his outfit barely raised an eyebrow among conservatives.
In stark contrast, Zelensky faced direct criticism over his signature military-style clothing.
During his visit, Trump himself mocked the wartime leader’s attire before conservative reporter Brian Glenn – boyfriend of GOP firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene – grilled him outright.
Fox News’ Peter Doocy challenged White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt over Elon Musk’s Ova Office dress code on Wednesday night
Elon Musk shows off his t-shirt reading ‘Tech Support’ while speaking at the first cabinet meeting hosted by US President Donald Trump, at the White House in Washington DC, February 26, 2025
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, received backlash for wearing casual attire during a meeting in the Oval Office on February 28, 2025
In a fiery exchange on Friday, Glenn, Chief White House Correspondent Real America’s Voice, asked Zelensky: ‘Why don’t you wear a suit?
‘You’re at the highest level in this country’s office and you refuse to wear a suit. Do you own a suit?
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‘A lot of Americans have problems, with you not respecting the dignity of this office.’
Zelensky, unfazed, fired back that he ‘will wear a kostium (Ukrainian for ‘suit’) after this war will finish’ and it would be ‘maybe something like yours, maybe something better, maybe something cheaper’.
While the scale of the diplomatic fallout remains to be seen, Glenn’s line of questioning, which led one diplomatic observer to describe the encounter as a ‘planned political mugging’, has cemented his status as the Trump White House’s favourite journalist.
But in a sign of support towards Zelensky, before the meeting escalated into a tense war of words, Trump quickly came to his aid and defended the president’s clothing.
‘I do like your clothing by the way,’ Trump said. ‘I don’t know if you two like each other, but I think he (Zelensky) is dressed beautifully.’
Trump’s comments appeared to contradict reports that the US President was actually irritated by Zelensky’s attire.
Advisers had urged the Ukrainian leader to wear a suit as a sign of respect when visiting the White House, sources told Axios.
Elon Musk carries his son on his shoulders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 11, 2025. He was seen sporting a black cap, black coat and a black T-shirt
But Zelensky was forced to defend himself for wearing a black jumper and trousers during his visit to the White House
And when Zelensky first arrived at the entrance to the West Wing, dressed in an all black outfit and jumper emblazoned with the Ukrainian trident, Trump appeared to mock him.
‘He is all dressed up today,’ the President said as he shook Zelensky’s hand.
The criticism by Glenn, who was one of several pro-Trump journalists invited into the White House Press pool after the President’s inauguration, was echoed by his partner.
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Greene wrote on X shortly after the exchange: ‘I’m so proud of for pointing out that Zelensky has so much disrespect for America that he can’t even wear a suit in the Oval Office when he comes to beg for money from our President!!’
Others on social media also pointed out that when Elon Musk visited the Oval Office with Trump last month, he too did not wear a suit.
During Wednesday night’s exchange, Doocy then asked Leavitt if Musk had been ‘spooked’ by the backlash Zelensky received.
‘No, I don’t think so,’ she replied.
‘I’m just pointing out that he did wear a suit last night. And I think the president liked that very much – and he looked great.’
During the meeting Brian Glenn (pictured), Chief White House Correspondent Real America’s Voice, asked why Zelensky didn’t wear a suit
Brian Glenn is the boyfriend of of Congresswoman and close Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene. The pair are pictured together at a pro-Trump rally in November, 2024
Zelensky, who has said he will not wear suits until the war in Ukraine has ended, is seen wearing a jacket and black top during a meeting at with French President and Trump at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris in December
Zelensky has faced similar criticism in the past for his choice of outfits while attending major meetings with other world leaders.
In 2022, following Zelensky’s address to the US Congress, Commentator Tucker Carlson accused the Ukrainian leader of dressing like the ‘manager of a strip club demanding money’.
Meanwhile supporters of Zelensky have instead compared him to the UK Prime Minister WInston Churchill, who notably also refused to wear a suit during a visit to the White House in the midst of World War Two.
Musk was also recently seen in the White House donning a black coat, T-shirt, MAGA cap and jeans, while carrying his four-year-old son on his shoulders.
The glaring double standard raises questions about whether dress codes in the White House are truly about respect – or if they’re just another battleground in America’s ever-political culture wars.