J.D. Vance received a telling off from Donald Trump for wearing Shamrock socks during a meeting with the Irish Prime Minister
May 19 2026, Published 9:23 a.m. ET
J.D. Vance claims he received a dressing down from Donald Trump over his choice of socks.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the vice president, 41, left the Commander-in-Chief, 79, unimpressed by wearing a pair of shamrock socks on St Patrick’s Day in March while hosting Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin at the Naval Observatory before heading to the Oval Office for a meeting.
‘Dress Conservatively Around The President Of The United States’
He explained: “I decided to wear my shamrock socks to welcome the Irish Prime Minister.
“We’re sitting down in front of God, and everybody, and probably 100 TV cameras on a live press conference, and the President starts his remarks, and then he looks over and says, ‘What is going on with those socks?'”
The lesson, Vance told a Kansas City crowd during a speech on Monday: “Dress conservatively around the President of the United States.”
It’s not the first time Trump’s fashion choices have made headlines — and he’s been more than willing to enforce them, on allies and adversaries alike.
‘I Don’t Want My Cabinet Members Wearing Sneakers’
Trump has high standards when it comes to smart attire.
In March, Trump confirmed reports that he’s been handing out dress shoes to Cabinet members, lawmakers, and White House advisers — specifically, Florsheim leather oxfords.
“When they tell me they have a problem, I say, ‘Let me get you a pair of shoes,'” Trump said on The Brian Kilmeade Show, confirming Wall Street Journal reporting that he’d “fallen in love” with the $145 oxfords.
“What I do is, as somebody that for many, many years that has walked around in shoes that were no good and would not be that comfortable — so I have fun with it.
“The president made his standards clear: I don’t want my Cabinet members wearing sneakers.”
Mocking Zelenskyy Over Fashion Choices
The most explosive dress code drama came in February 2025, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walked into the Oval Office in his trademark military-style attire — a symbol of solidarity with troops fighting Russia’s invasion.
Trump opened with a jab, greeting Zelenskyy with a crack about being “dressed up today.” Real America’s Voice correspondent Brian Glenn grilled the wartime leader over his refusal to wear a suit.
Trump later softened, telling Zelenskyy: “I do like your clothing. I think he’s dressed beautifully.”
The president has form for mocking Vance.
He couldn’t resist poking fun at his deputy last week while reliving the recent White House Correspondents’ dinner shooting scare — cracking that Secret Service agents scooped up the vice president “like he was a little boy,”
