A U.S. State of the Union address conveys political messages not only through speech but also through visual symbolism. On the 24th (local time), President Donald Trump delivered a second-term State of the Union that lasted about 1 hour and 48 minutes, the longest on record. There was, however, something that drew as much attention as the ‘mouth’ of the president: the attire of key attendees. This year, a political signal stronger than words appeared through ‘color’. First Lady Melania Trump and figures from her camp chose black suits, while Democratic women lawmakers all wore white, sending a contrasting message.

For this address, Melania chose a black pantsuit by Dolce & Gabbana. With a white shirt and an unadorned, straight silhouette, it was effectively close to menswear, minus the tie. She was not the only one to draw attention that day. Usha Vance, the wife of the vice president, and conservative group leader Erika Kirk also wore unadorned black pantsuits. The Washington Post noted that, because these figureswho usually favor relatively bold colors or silhouettesappeared as if coordinated in ‘achromatic suits’ all at once, the reading gained traction that this was an intentional ‘collective style message’ rather than mere personal taste.

The Washington Post described the outfits worn by the three, including Melania, as “somber, restrained, intuitive attire,” adding that they “ceded the spotlight.” Rather than asserting presence through flashy colors or embellishment, the choice concentrated attention on the president while reflecting a mood of political tension. Given that the State of the Union is a special stage where hundreds of political power-holders gather but only the president actually speaks, the attendees sought to send a clear message through their clothes that they would set off the president.

Some also interpret the stylistic shift of Melania as an extension of an ‘image reset’. Indeed, she chose a nearly identical style for the official portrait released shortly after the second-term inauguration of her husband in 2025. In the new portrait unveiled last year, Melania wears a black business suit and white shirt, placing her hands on a desk and looking straight ahead.

Quoting experts, the BBC interpreted this as a “message closer to the center of power, distinct from the traditional First Lady image.” Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw, an art historian at the University of Pennsylvania, pointed to the placement of the Washington Monument in the background and the strong, linear posture, calling it a “staging that shows a move away from domestic symbolism toward the spaces at the core of power.” She noted in particular that placing hands firmly on the desk conveys a “state of readiness to work, that is, an ‘active First Lady’ image.” In fact, the 2017 first-term official portrait of Melania was a color photograph marked by a gentle smile and feminine styling, whereas the second-term portrait, with its black-and-white tone, squared shoulders, and strong eye contact, gives an overall impression of cool control. The BBC read it as “a style that emphasizes a corporate, power-centered image, distinct from the traditional role of a First Lady who softens the image of the president.”

By contrast, Democratic women lawmakers coordinated in white, sending a countervailing message. This is not a one-off performance but is regarded as a symbolic political expression that has continued for more than a century in U.S. politics.

Democratic women lawmakers again captured public attention by coordinating in white at President Trump’s first State of the Union in 2017. At the time, they chose so-called ‘suffragist white’ to honor activists for the right of women to vote, and the practice has continued at major political events since then.

More than a century ago, activists who fought for women to gain the right to vote in the United States used purple, gold, and white as official colors. In particular, white signified ‘purity’ and ‘legitimacy’ and was chosen strategically because it appeared most distinctly in the black-and-white newspaper photos of the day.

The large women’s suffrage march held in Washington in 1912 showcased this symbolism in exemplary fashion. Thousands of women marched through central Washington in white, and labor activist and lawyer Inez Milholland Boissevain led the procession on a white horse, draped in a white cape. It was a visual strategy to attract media attention and a performance meant to underscore the legitimacy of the demands of women for political rights. U.S. historian and author Rebecca Boggs Roberts told The Washington Post“White stood out from afar and could draw media attention, and it was the most effective means for women to convey their message visually.”

Regarding this year’s attire at the State of the Union, Teresa Leger Fernandez, a Democratic representative from New Mexico and chair of the Democratic Women Caucus, said in an interview with CBS, “The choice of color varies with the political moment,” while adding, “This year, white reflected the current political conflicts over women’s voting rights.” She said, “Women marched and even went on hunger strikes to win the vote, and that fight is not over even now.”

The strategy of color in politics continues. In 2018, Democratic women lawmakers wore black to signal support for the #MeToo movement, and in 2024 they chose pink to emphasize a message of policy opposition. The recurring white ensembles in the State of the Union chamber are read not as a mere fashion choice but as a collective political expression that simultaneously evokes the history of women gaining the vote and today’s political conflicts. Melania’s black suit and the white outfits of Democratic women lawmakers intersect in the same space, and ‘color’ becomes another ‘visual language of address’ that reveals political stances and the fissures of the times.