© Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFPUS President Joe Biden speaks during a Black History Month reception at the East Room of the White House on February 6, 2024 in Washington, DC.
On Tuesday, Biden urged US lawmakers to "immediately" pass a long-debated $118 billion bill that includes $60 billion for Ukraine. It also includes $20 billion to enhance border security, in line with Republicans' long-standing demands. However, many GOP members still opposed the bill, arguing that it does not do enough.
The US leader made the statement while wearing a tie with yellow and blue stripes - the colors of Ukraine's national flag, as well as a lapel pin with crossed Ukrainian and US flags. He declared that Kiev was "in dire straits right now" as it faces increased pressure from Russia.
Biden's choice of tie triggered backlash, most notably from Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican who dropped out of the White House race last month to endorse former US President Donald Trump's bid in the 2024 election.
Writing on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, Ramaswamy remarked that Biden "is wearing the flag of another country whose bills we're footing," while Zelensky has never worn the flag of the nation from which it is receiving the funding. "Says a lot about the sick psychology of this relationship," he added.
The criticism was echoed by Lavern Spicer, a Republican running for Congress in Florida, who called Biden a "traitor." She wondered how Americans had been able to tolerate the US leader for three years, calling on voters to "kick his senile a** out."
Rich Zeoli, a conservative talk show host, jokingly suggested that Biden had received his Ukraine tie for "being employee of the month in 2015." He was referring to allegations that the Biden family and their associates took over $20 million through shell companies in several countries, including Russia and Ukraine, while Biden served as vice president.
Meanwhile, American investor David Sacks recalled that the president had said in the spring of 2023 that Russia had no chance of prevailing in the conflict, but now, almost a year later, he had to wear the Ukrainian colors to show that Kiev was "in dire straits."
His comments came in the wake of Kiev's botched counteroffensive last year, which failed to gain any ground. Russia has described Ukraine's losses as catastrophic, estimating its casualties at 215,000 troops in 2023 alone.
Comment: Blue and yellow just aren't Biden's colors. He'd look much better in gray and white stripes, or perhaps an orange jumpsuit.