Pete Hegseth’s fashion choices are apparently a matter of geopolitical consequence.
The secretary of defense stirred up international controversy after a White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for wearing a white, blue and red striped tie in the order of the Russian flag.
Russian leaders and news outlets were quick to draw conclusions that Hegseth was intentionally showing his allegiance to the Kremlin, despite the American flag displaying the same colors in a different order.
Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and Russia’s special envoy on international economic and investment cooperation, quickly posted a photo of Hegseth’s tie and captioned it with the Russian flag on X.
Russian state-owned news agency Tass wrote that “Hegseth’s tie, featuring bold white, blue, and red stripes arranged in the same order as on the Russian national flag, stood out among the otherwise restrained attire of the US delegation,” The Telegraph first reported.
— Kirill Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) October 18, 2025
The rumor quickly took hold online, with many viewing Hegseth’s tie choice as a subtle sign of support for Ukraine’s invader, Russia.
“Pete Hegseth showed up to the White House meeting today with President Zelensky wearing a Russian tricolor flag tie. These people love Putin and Russia,” wrote political influencer Jake Broe in a post on X with 10.9 million views.
Vice President JD Vance attempted to belittle such theories.
“Or maybe he was wearing the colors of America,” he replied to Broe’s post.
White House officials also made attempts to quell the narrative with ridicule. Officials took the mocking route on the official White House X account, replying to the same post:
“Isn’t it humiliating so publicly admitting that you’re a weapons-grade moron?”
Hegseth has been known to don American-flag attire, including a suit jacket lined with the U.S. flag. However, much of his patriotic clothing—including that suit—was reportedly made in Thailand.
“I called his tailor and they told me they use factories in Thailand. Confirmed in interviews,” menswear writer and internet personality Derek Guy previously wrote in a post on X.
Yes, I know where Hegseth’s clothes were made.If you look inside his suits, you’ll see a “Book a Tailor” label. He confirmed in a Fox News broadcast that he gets his clothes from them. I called his tailor and they told me they use factories in Thailand. Confirmed in interviews. https://t.co/UulKFMrvJV pic.twitter.com/GscYtcsUVC
— derek guy (@dieworkwear) October 3, 2025
The Daily Beast has reached out to the Department of Defense for comment.
While Washington refutes that Hegseth’s tie is any indicator of favoritism, a reportedly fiery meeting between Zelensky and President Donald Trump has only fueled the debate.
Trump was pressuring his Ukrainian counterpart to accept Russia’s terms for a ceasefire during an explosive White House meeting on Friday, according to the Financial Times, telling Zelensky that Russia would “destroy” Ukraine if he didn’t agree.
Trump demanded that Zelensky surrender the entire Donbas region to Russian President Vladimir Putin, sources said.
European officials told the Financial Times that Trump repeated many of Putin’s talking points “verbatim” during the meeting, telling Zelensky he was losing the war and that “If [Putin] wants it, he will destroy you.”
The tense encounter came after Trump reportedly spoke with Putin by phone and seemingly welcomed the Russian dictator back into his good graces.
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