‘Why Don’t You Wear a Suit?’: A Right-Wing News Outlet With Coveted Access Questions Zelensky

Politics|‘Why Don’t You Wear a Suit?’: A Right-Wing News Outlet With Coveted Access Questions Zelensky

• Published March 1, 2025Updated March 2, 2025, 6:00 a.m. ET

A voice from the press section joined the chorus of people demanding answers from President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Friday, during a meeting with President Trump and his associates.

“Why don’t you wear a suit?” a man asked Mr. Zelensky. “You’re at the highest level in this country’s office, and you refuse to wear a suit. Just want to see if — do you own a suit?” He added, “A lot of Americans have problems with you not respecting the office.”

The questions came from Brian Glenn, a correspondent for Real America’s Voice, a right-wing cable channel that has spread conspiracy theories about noncitizen voting and helped distribute Stephen K. Bannon’s “War Room” podcast after Mr. Bannon was barred from YouTube, Spotify and other mainstream platforms.

Mr. Glenn’s outlet was selected to take a “secondary TV” role in the White House press pool alongside CNN on Friday — a position that did not exist before this week. That access was granted as the White House continued to block reporters from The Associated Press from attending, according to a schedule sent out by the White House, and as it began this week to handpick the pool reporters who cover the president in small settings, such as the Oval Office meeting with Mr. Zelensky.

Pool reporters attend the events in a rotation traditionally organized by the White House Correspondents’ Association and share their observations with other outlets not present.

Mr. Glenn’s comments about Mr. Zelensky’s appearance echoed Mr. Trump’s on Friday as the Ukrainian leader stepped out of his car at the White House. “He’s all dressed up today,” Mr. Trump told reporters, indicating Mr. Zelensky’s attire.