What’s with Trump’s cheap suit?

Win McNamee/Getty Images

A version of this story appeared in CNN’s What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here .

The fact that President Donald Trump was photographed flashing a suit tag from a bargain brand of imported suits should not really be news.

Women in politics will tell you we should not dwell on how a politician dresses.

But the fact that Trump, a billionaire, was photographed wearing a suit jacket with tags from Jos. A. Bank, the relatively inexpensive brand, is interesting for a number of reasons.

CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.

Does the man who bought his own private club at Mar-a-Lago buy suits at the mall?

This is the president who sells a $100,000 watch with his name on it and who allegedly inflated his net worth to be included on the Forbes list of billionaires . Status symbols are important to him.

He has bedazzled the White House in gold leaf and Corinthian marble and is using taxpayer money, along with donations, to build one of the largest ballrooms on earth. All evidence suggests he likes to appear to be surrounded by the finest things.

He accepted the gift of a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar to serve as his Air Force One. But he’s wearing the suit of a sensible sedan driver?

The tags on Trump’s suit bear some resemblance to the Traveler collection of suit separates from Jos. A. Bank. The big and tall variant in black is currently on sale for $279 . Advertised as wrinkle- and stain-resistant, it would be a good choice for a trip across the country.

Jos. A. Bank is part of a larger conglomerate, Tailored Brands, which also owns Men’s Wearhouse. The larger brand does have some products made in the US, like those from its Joseph Abboud brand, which retail for $700. Jos. A. Bank has an American Bespoke line, which is also advertised as being made in the USA, but the tags featured on the brand’s website differ from those flashed by Trump.

That means Trump’s suit was likely made in China or Bangladesh — perhaps not the right message for a president who has promised the return of American manufacturing.

The American-made ties by Vineyard Vines advertised on Trump’s online store retail for $125. But that’s just a tie.

Bing Guan/Bloomberg/Getty Images

What Trump’s tariffs mean for fashion

Just as Trump’s detractors have mocked his very long ties or the overcoat and gloves he wore to greet China’s leader Xi Jinping on a mild Washington afternoon last month, they have also seen reason to pounce on his budget-friendly suit.

It’s possible Americans struggling with the affordability crisis might find the choice down-to-earth and relatable, although Trump is hardly struggling. He should be able to afford any suit he wants.

His family business has seen investments in cryptocurrency pay off to the tune of more than $1 billion, according to financial dislosures . His company is selling early access to his social media posts, suggesting Wall Street firms who can afford to pay for access will want to use the information to cash in. He is pushing Americans to embrace data centers that could benefit companies in which he is invested.

A conspiracy theorist like Trump could wonder if him flashing an inexpensive suit tag might be something done on purpose, to make him appear of the people.

That’s been done before — think back to Al Gore’s sweaters or John Kerry’s camouflage hunting jacket or even George W. Bush’s cowboy boots.

Brian Snyder/Reuters/File

But it’s doubtful this was anything so calculated. Video of Trump opening his suit jacket shows that it occurred during a moment when he was dancing onstage .

Taken along with the news earlier this year that Trump apparently bought Florsheim shoes , another relatively inexpensive brand of workwear, for members of his Cabinet, it may simply mean that Trump’s sartorial sensibility is mellowing with age.

Trump said the Florsheim shoes were “spiffy” and an improvement over sneakers, a no-no for a Cabinet member.

Kay Nietfeld/Picture Alliance/DPA/AP/File

Back in 2016, when he was first running for president, his aide told The New York Times that Trump wore the Italian luxury brand Brioni, “among others.” Trump had previously talked about buying those suits “off the rack.”

Brioni had furnished Trump’s suits during his time on The Apprentice. At the time, Trump owned a new luxury hotel in DC and Brioni had a shop there. Trump has since sold the hotel and Brioni has closed the shop.

Some others might have wondered if Trump had some incentive to rep the Jos. A. Bank brand. He did, after all, sell swatches from the suit in which he posed for his mug shot in Georgia. He’s sold Bibles , watches , steaks, wine, water — you name it.

But the piece of clothing that will always be most associated with Trump is the red MAGA hat, the symbol of his populist following, now for sale at his online store for $55 and made in America .

CNN’s Tristen Rouse contributed to this analysis.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

本文的另一个版本曾刊登在 CNN 的“要闻速递”（What Matters）新闻简报中。如需订阅，请点击此处免费注册。

唐纳德·特朗普总统被拍到炫耀一件廉价进口西装的标签，这其实不应该成为新闻。

女性政治家会告诉你，我们不应该过分在意政治人物的穿着。

但特朗普身为亿万富翁，却被拍到穿着一件来自相对廉价品牌 Jos. A. Bank 的西装外套，这本身就很有意思，原因有很多。

CNN已联系白宫寻求置评。

在海湖庄园买下私人俱乐部的男人，会去商场买西装吗？

这位总统曾出售一款印有自己名字、价值10万美元的手表，还被指控虚报净资产以跻身福布斯亿万富翁排行榜。身份象征对他来说至关重要。

他用金箔和科林斯大理石将白宫装点得富丽堂皇，并动用纳税人的钱和捐款，建造了世界上最大的宴会厅之一。种种迹象表明，他喜欢让自己看起来被最美好的事物环绕。

他接受了卡塔尔赠送的价值4亿美元的豪华喷气式飞机作为他的“空军一号”。但他却穿着一身普通轿车司机的西装？

特朗普西装上的标签与Jos. A. Bank的Traveler系列西装单品有些相似。黑色大码加长款目前售价279美元。这款西装标榜防皱防污，是长途旅行的理想之选。

Jos. A. Bank隶属于大型企业集团Tailored Brands，该集团旗下还拥有Men's Wearhouse。Tailored Brands集团确实有一些美国制造的产品，例如其旗下Joseph Abboud品牌的产品，售价700美元。Jos. A. Bank也拥有American Bespoke系列，该系列同样宣称产自美国，但其官网上的标签与特朗普展示的标签并不相同。

这意味着特朗普的西装很可能是在中国或孟加拉国制造的——对于一位承诺重振美国制造业的总统来说，这或许不是一个合适的信号。

美国品牌 Vineyard Vines 出品的领带在特朗普的网上商店售价为 125 美元。但这仅仅是一条领带而已。

Bing Guan/Bloomberg/Getty Images

特朗普的关税政策对时尚意味着什么

正如特朗普的批评者嘲笑他过长的领带，或者上个月在华盛顿一个温暖的下午，他穿着大衣和手套迎接中国领导人习近平一样，他们也找到了理由来抨击他那套价格亲民的西装。

对于那些正为经济困难而苦苦挣扎的美国人来说，这种选择或许显得务实且贴近生活，尽管特朗普显然并不为生计发愁。他应该买得起任何他想要的西装。

据财务披露显示，他家族企业在加密货币领域的投资已获利超过10亿美元。他的公司正在出售其社交媒体帖子的提前访问权限，这表明华尔街那些有能力付费获取访问权限的公司会希望利用这些信息牟利。他正敦促美国民众接受数据中心，而这些数据中心可能会使他投资的公司受益。

像特朗普这样的阴谋论者可能会怀疑，他故意炫耀廉价西装的标签，是为了让他看起来像个平民百姓。

以前就有人这么做过——想想阿尔·戈尔的毛衣、约翰·克里的迷彩猎装，甚至是乔治·W·布什的牛仔靴。

Brian Snyder/路透社/档案照片

但这件事是否真的经过精心策划，令人怀疑。特朗普打开西装外套的视频显示，当时他正在台上跳舞。

结合今年早些时候特朗普显然为内阁成员购买了弗洛斯海姆鞋（另一个相对便宜的工作服品牌）的消息来看，这可能仅仅意味着随着年龄的增长，特朗普的着装品味正在变得温和。

特朗普称弗洛斯海姆的鞋子“很漂亮”，比运动鞋好，而运动鞋对于内阁成员来说是绝对不允许的。

凯·尼特菲尔德/图片联盟/德新社/美联社/档案照片

早在2016年他首次竞选总统时，他的助手就告诉《纽约时报》，特朗普穿过意大利奢侈品牌Brioni等品牌的服装。特朗普此前曾说过，这些西装都是“现成的”。

布里奥尼曾在特朗普参加《学徒》节目期间为他提供西装。当时，特朗普在华盛顿特区拥有一家新的豪华酒店，布里奥尼在那里也设有一家店铺。后来，特朗普出售了这家酒店，布里奥尼也关闭了店铺。

有些人可能会想，特朗普代言Jos. A. Bank品牌是否有某种动机。毕竟，他曾出售过他在佐治亚州拍摄入狱照时所穿西装的布料样品。他还卖过圣经、手表、牛排、葡萄酒、水——你能想到的东西他都卖过。

但与特朗普联系最紧密的服装永远是那顶红色的 MAGA 帽子，它是他民粹主义追随者的象征，现在在他的网上商店以 55 美元的价格出售，并且是美国制造的。

CNN的特里斯坦·劳斯对本分析亦有贡献。