What President Donald Trump's Red Tie Says

Faded yellow hair, orange face, black overcoat, navy suit… When we talk about Donald Trump, it is often a question of color. And in particular that of his tie. If the Republican billionaire, elected president this Wednesday, exchanged his eternal red tie for yellow or blue models during his trial last May, he has, upon his return to the forefront of the American political scene, reconnected with his former self. of fetish fabric.

A detail? In an American society governed by images, not so much. In a political world where any man aspiring to be elected must wear a blue suit, even less so: the tie is one of the rare authorized means of expression to remain within the codes of respectability, while conveying messages. It is itself a marker of power, frequently crystallizing debates around the attire of politicians – in France, its wearing in the hemicycle is the sartorial chestnut of the National Assembly. Always tied a little too long, in a very shiny and not really subtle silk, Trump's tie is far from the codes of good taste and elegance, which would undoubtedly recommend a more discreet choice.

Color of love and pride, power and war

But no matter: the point is not there. “ Creating color codes to generate immediate recognition is an old political tradition, explains Sarah Banon, professor of fashion theory at the Institut Français de la Mode (IFM). Donald Trump seeks in this way, by adopting red, to appropriate the symbolism of colors.” Because red is not a color like any other. “ Already in Antiquity, he was admired and entrusted with the attributes of power, that is to say those of religion and war, recalled in 2004 the historian specializing in color Michel Pastoureau and author of Red – story of a color (Ed. Seuil), in an interview at the Bibliothèque nationale de France. The god Mars, the Roman centurions, certain priests… all are dressed in red. This color will stand out because it refers to two elements, omnipresent throughout its history: fire and blood. Deeply linked to religion since the Middle Ages, it is also the color of love… of lust and pride. Quite a program.

« What is interesting is that in the United States, we observe a reversal in semantics, continues Sarah Banon. Red is associated with Republicans, blue with Democrats. In Europe, and in France in particular (such as Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Editor’s note), conversely, red is traditionally worn by figures on the left, and blue by right-wing people. Furthermore, for Trump, we can wonder if this red is not a way of reinforcing his own mythology, the color necessarily evoking the blood of the attack he suffered in July.