JD Vance Reveals President Trump’s Unwritten Dress Code For Cabinet Members: ‘Navy Suit, Black Shoes’

Vice President JD Vance is shedding light on President Donald Trump’s traditional expectations for how members of his administration should dress, revealing that the president places a premium on professionalism and respecting the office through appearance.

Speaking on the “Hang Out with Sean Hannity” podcast released Thursday, Vance said Trump believes public officials should project respect for the institutions they serve by dressing in a conventional manner.

“The president has a certain sense that you ought to respect the place, you ought to respect the institution, respect the office. And one of the ways you do that is by dressing like a normal person,” Vance said. “And I think that’s — it’s a very old-fashioned thing.”

According to Vance, Trump has a specific sense of style that he expects from those around him and is known to comment on officials’ attire.

“Well, I mean, he always has — it’s always a navy suit. It’s almost always a solid tie. It’s always black shoes,” Vance said. “Like, he’ll bust the chops of some of the Cabinet members if they’ve got brown shoes on.”

Trump has previously acknowledged that he sometimes helps officials upgrade their footwear.

“When they tell me they have a problem, I say, ‘Let me get you a pair of shoes,’” Trump said during an interview on “The Brian Kilmeade Show” in March.

Vance recalled that Trump frequently notices even small details about clothing choices and cited his interactions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

During a tense Oval Office meeting earlier this year, Zelenskyy was questioned about not wearing a suit. At a subsequent White House meeting in August, the Ukrainian leader appeared in more formal attire.

A reporter remarked that Zelenskyy looked “fabulous in that suit,” prompting Trump to add, “I said the same thing.”

“That was not a good moment for him,” Vance said, referring to the earlier exchange. “And it’s funny because things kind of worked out. I think, you know, we were able to repair that relationship.”

Vance also recounted an anecdote involving Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., during a 9/11 memorial event in 2024.

“They’re reading out the names. But there’s — at one point, the president turns around and looks at Don Jr. And Don has like, a spread collar on. And the president’s like, ‘Oh, that’s a pretty wide collar there, Don,’” Vance said.

“And you can tell, like, it just was absolutely a dig. So I’ve always — navy suit, black shoes and a conventional collar,” he added.