Trump's blue funeral suit caused uproar. Here's what we know about whether it broke Vatican dress code

As images from the funeral of Pope Francis on April 26, 2025, spread around the world, social media claims (archived) followed that U.S. President Donald Trump broke official Vatican dress code by appearing at the event in a blue suit rather than a black one.

One X user wrote, "According to the dress code required by Vatican officials for Pope Francis' funeral, men were required to wear a dark suit, along with a long black tie. Trump shows up in blue."

The claim that Trump broke the Vatican dress code also appeared on Facebook (archived), Threads (archived), Bluesky (archived) and Reddit (archived).

Reports on the funeral in both English and Italian (archived) publications referenced a Vatican-issued dress code for the event but did not cite a source for the code. According to these reports, the dress code for the event was a black suit, black tie and white shirt for men and a long black dress with gloves and a veil for women. 

We reached out to the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, which carries out communications duties for the Holy See, and the Vatican Library to ask for a copy of the dress code for papal funerals. We also reached out to etiquette experts and journalists reporting on the Vatican for any knowledge they might have of a funeral dress code and where to find it. We await replies to our queries.

However, regardless of Vatican dress code, Trump was not the only funeral attendee who did not wear a black suit. Another notable exception was the U.K.'s Prince William, who wore a dark navy suit. Former U.S. President Joe Biden wore a blue tie. Photos from the event showed other attendees wearing blue or navy suits.

The White House press office responded to an emailed request for comment with two quotes. The first, attributed to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, was, "The President looked great and presidential alongside our stunning First Lady who was, as usual, dressed perfectly for the occasion." The same email also included a quote from Steven Cheung, the White House communications director: "The President and First Lady honored the life and service of Pope Francis, and those who try to distract from that should be ashamed of themselves."

It was not clear where reports on Trump's alleged etiquette breach sourced their dress code information. The "Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis," a liturgical book of papal funeral rites, could potentially be the source of the dress code, though it was not possible to independently verify this as we have not yet been able to secure a copy of the book to see whether a dress code appears in it.

The book covers events that must take place from the death of a pope until and including the funeral. Francis approved the guide's most recent update in 2024. That update simplified some funeral rites and emphasized that "the funeral of the Roman Pontiff is that of a pastor and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful person of this world," according to Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the master of apostolic ceremonies, in a Vatican News article about the update.

The Vatican and Holy See are no strangers to dress codes for officials and visitors alike. The Holy See asked Catholic Church officials to wear specific attire to attend events including the pope's funeral. The Vatican also imposes dress code regulations on everyday visitors to sites including the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Gardens.