This was a reverse from the norm. Usually when Melania appears at funerals or any pubic occasions, she has to be dressed glaringly so that all eyes are upon her. We saw this with her blazing yellow Beauty & The Beast costume (and purple shoes) when she first visited the U.K. during Trump 1.0, when all the other women — including Queen Elizabeth — wore cocktail dresses. But on the occasion of the funeral of Pope Francis, Melania actually adhered to the dress code and wore black. Gasp. That must have killed her to blend in. Hubby, on the other hand, wore his usual blue suit and stuck out like a sore thumb.
And if it had stayed there, it would have been basic Trumpian tone deafness. But of course it got worse. The Irish Star reports that Trump and Melania, clueless to the last, actually stepped on the carpet that was under the Pontiff’s casket. This is a no no. A carpet under a casket, in these circumstances, is considered Holy Ground. You don’t step upon Holy Ground as a lay person, not at the funeral of a Pope. But then again, we’re talking about Donald and Melania, for whom the word “protocol” is merely unpronounceable.
One person wrote on X: “Trump and Melania – the only two stepping over the rug where Pope Francis coffin sits when paying respect, jeeeezzz!”
Another added: “OK, so I’m not the only person who noticed Trump and Melania stepping on the rug. I’m sure they were given instructions to stay off the rug. But, nooooo!”
Other attendees, such as Prince William and Prime Minister Keir Starmer were seen remaining a distance away from the rug. According to The Art Newspaper, attendees should not step on the carpet beneath the coffin.
This is because the carpet symbolizes holy ground, and marks a sanctified space. It is used to separate the pontiff from other people, and the tradition is said to also be shown in paintings of the period where carpets are used to symbolize a sacred space.
For the two of them this is the norm. Trump made headlines worldwide when he kept the then-96-year-old Queen Elizabeth waiting in the hot sun for twenty minutes and then walked in front of her, in defiance of all decorum, not to mention basic courtesy. Melania also didn’t know she wasn’t supposed to wear her hat inside the palace and she also presented bare-legged, like a Piccadilly tart. The irony there is that day she was dressed as a clone of Lady Diana, except Diana knew all the ins and outs of how to evoke a personal style and still honor all the protocols in place.
So America is embarrassed in the world once again. Not anything less was expected. The shock would have been if the Trumps had managed to do what was expected, nothing more, nothing less. I do admit to shock that Melania managed to wear black, however. She probably had to hypnotize herself into that choice since all her instincts were screaming neon hot pink and a feather boa or something similarly eye catching, I have no doubt. On the other hand, since she had to stand next to Donald, maybe she wanted to be invisible. That makes sense.
And the leaders of the world made known their feelings about Donald. Here is the French president heartily snubbing him.
Macron shook one hand. pic.twitter.com/0JdYmTQeUU
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) April 26, 2025
Nobody can stand Trump. He is the most despised American president in history. And he is oblivious to what a fool he is or what a bizarre figure he cuts. This is our collective disgrace. And Trump’s faux pas with the suit does make you wonder, did he receive the instructions from the Vatican and say “screw you?” or does he simply not have a black suit? He certainly could have gotten one. My best guess is that Trump feels that he’s doing everyone a favor by being there, wherever he goes, and protocol be damned. Protocol is for suckers and losers.
This. From one of the people that asked why Zelensky wasn’t wearing a suit.
His rights to sartorial comment now renounced by the Fashion Police.
The thing that is so egregious is that these protocols are in place and it’s so easy to conform. But the sociopath in chief has to do everything his way.
He is the antichrist, only Satan would defile sacred ground!
It would’ve been funny if the Swiss Guards had been told to remove the offender from the building (or, if someone had seen his suit, they’d been told to deny him entry until he went back and changed to colors of mourning).
I would love to have seen it. Preferably in traditional garb and marching him.out at the business end of a pike.
Missed that he stepped on Holy Ground. At least it was only a toe; I’m shocked he didn’t tromp all the way in to.touch the coffin.He is such a lout. Melania is Catholic and black.is traditionally worn to.a Catholic funeral. I wore a black dress to.my first husband’s funeral. But I wore it under a green Kinsale cloak.because he loved me in green. I burned the dress.
I suspect Melanoma listened to.her social.secretary. Her mantilla was traditional too. Some ignorant said it was also referred to as a chapel.cap. It is not. A chapel cap.is a round lace doily. I wore one to.every Mass at school in senior year.
Is Melania really Catholic? Why didn’t she marry Trump in a Catholic church, then? She only announced she was Catholic in 2017. I’m wondering if that wasn’t some kind of pretense on her part.
I am sure that Donald is not a Catholic. Also, he was divorced when he married Melania. As I understand, only Catholics in good standing can get married in a Catholic church. So, even if Melania was a Catholic in good standing, she could not have married Trump in a Catholic church.
She’s Catholic but married in an Episcopal church because he is divorced twice. She might have been able to get an annulment if he hadn’t been baptized or the prior marriages weren’t religious.
she’s Slovenian right? I believe that’s a catholic country.