An American financier and one-time Senate candidate was blasted for asking why Volodymyr Zelensky doesn’t wear a suit – then doubled-down by accusing the embattled Ukrainian president of wearing makeup.
Peter Schiff, 58, who formerly ran as a Republican for the seat of the U.S. Senator from Connecticut twelve years ago made the remarks shortly after Zelensky appeared before the US Senate in his now-trademark khaki green t-shirt.
Schiff, who is the CEO of Euro Pacific Capital bank tweeted: ‘I understand times are hard, but doesn’t the President of the #Ukraine own a suit?
‘I don’t have much respect for current members of the U.S. Congress either, but I still wouldn’t address them wearing a t-shirt. I wouldn’t want to disrespect the institution or the Unites (sic) States.’
One tweeter calling themselves Quoth the Raven responded to Schiff by saying he’d just made ‘one of your worst all time takes’. Quoth continued: ‘The guy is in the middle of a war zone ducking mortars Peter, he’s not going to be rolling around his garment rack with him.’
But Schiff was unbowed, and responded again by saying: ‘He was not in combat on a battle field. Someone powdered his face. Not a hair was out of place, and he was clean shaven with a trimmed beard. He chose to wear that t-shirt. He could have easily chosen something less informal.’
Peter Schiff, a 58-year-old chief economist and chief executive officer of Euro Pacific Capital, took to Twitter on Wednesday to comment on Volodymyr Zelensky’s attire, asking whether ‘the President of the #Ukraine owns a suit?’
The financier added that although he doesn’t ‘have much respect for current members of the UI.S. Congress either,’ he ‘still wouldn’t address them wearing a t-shirt,’ implying that it would ‘disrespect’ the institution of the United States
Active users on Twitter, as well as many political commentators, blasted Schiff’s tweets and defended Mr Zelensky’s outfit
In response to the negative criticism he received, Schiff added that Mr Zelensky had been powdered and that ‘not a hair was out of place, and he was clean shaven with a trimmed bear. He chose to wear that t-shirt. He could have easily chose something less informal’
Many other tweeters chose to blast Chiff over his remarks – hundreds of whom used far less civil language.
‘Good god, Peter, you’re a complete A***HOLE,’ Jon Cooper, former National Finance Chair of Draft Biden 2016, wrote. ‘I can’t believe you haven’t deleted this tweet yet.’
‘Dude, not only is he in a war-zone, where I’m sure it’s hard to get a suit press and dry clean, but even if it was possible, it’s favorable for people to see him as one of them sharing the struggle,’ a twitter user called Jonathan added.
Schiff doubled-down on his tweet later on, responding to Jonathan: ‘He would not have had to press a suit. I’m sure he had a clean suit hanging in the same closet as his t-shirts. Plus even if there were not suits available, maybe a long-sleeved shirt with a collar.’
Amy Task, an analyst at CBS Sports, was part of the majority who condemned Schiff, sharing that Zelensky ‘is fighting to save the lives of others, he is putting his life at risk to do so – he could have left but he didn’t, that speaks to the man he is he is – you care about what he’s wearing, that speaks to the man you are.
Earlier today, Mr Zelensky pleaded to the U.S. for more aid from his office in Kyiv, while wearing a green army t-shirt that has become his typical wartime outfit since Russia’s attempt to invade Ukraine at the end of last month.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky virtually addressed the U.S. Congress from his office in Kyiv while wearing a green army t-shirt that he has been commonly wearing everyday since the start of the Russian invasion in his country nearly a month ago
The 58-year-old, whose nickname is ‘Dr Doom’ after correctly predicting the 2007-2008 financial collapse, was under investigation in 2020 after Euro Pacific Bank, a boutique financial firm in Puerto Rico that ‘helps Americans prepare for changes in the global economy that could erode the value of the dollar and US dollar-based investments,’ was suspected of money laundering and tax evasion.
Schiff denied wrongdoing, and no charges were filed against him.
He has also been active in politics, running against Democrat Christopher Dodd, the longest serving U.S. Senator from Connecticut ever (1991-2011). However, he failed to win the most delegate votes at the state’s Republican primary, trailing behind Linda McMahon and Rob Simmons. The race was ultimately won by the Democratic Party primary winner, Richard Blumenthal.
Schiff’s father, Irwin, was a twentieth century libertarian and tax resistance advocate, who authored several literary works promoting arguments that income tax in the U.S. is illegal and unconstitutional. He faced multiple civil and criminal cases against the federal government and passed away while serving a 162 months (13.5 years) prison sentence for deliberately filing wrongful tax information..
John Law, an Arts & Culture writer for Niagara Falls Review, tweeted a humoristic response to Schiff, sharing: ‘It’s only March, but you, sir, have just posted the dumbest thing I’ll see on Twitter all year.’
In response to the attention, Schiff wrote that someone had powdered Mr Zelensky’s face and that ‘not a hair was out of place, and he was clean shaven with a trimmed beard. He chose to wear that t-shirt. He could have easily chosen something less informal.’
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Zelensky addressed on Americans via Zoom, asking them to remember the attacks on Pearl Harbor and the Twin Towers and to compare them with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, where hundreds of civilians and troops have died at the hands of Russian forces for nearly the past month.
‘Our country experiences the same every day right now – at this moment, every night, for three weeks now,’ Mr Zelensky said. ‘Russia has turned the Ukrainian sky into a source of death for thousands of people.’
He even went on to quote Dr Martin Luther King Jr in an effort to get members of Congress to support a NATO-backed no-fly zone over his country, sharing: ‘I have a dream. These words are known to each of you today. I can say I have a need — I need to protect our sky.’
A heartbreaking video showing Ukrainians suffering from the war’s consequences was also shown.
After speaking in Ukrainian for almost the entirety of his speech, Mr Zelensky’s final words were in English, pleading for pro-democratic nations to come together in support of his country.
‘Today the Ukrainian people are defending not only Ukraine. We are fighting for the values of Europe and the world, sacrificing our lives in the name of the future,’ he said.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky (on screen) delivers a video address to senators and members of the US Congress gathered in the Capitol Visitor Center Congressional Auditorium at the US Capitol in Washington, DC