4 lessons to be learned from Zelensky’s White House meeting

Ordinarily I might be a little reticent about offering advice to world leaders on how to conduct international relations. Then again, I never expected someone as high-profile as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s to perform so miserably as he did at his meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office last week.

Perhaps there are some lessons to be learned.

Well start with the easy stuff: Dress appropriately. Yes, it sounds petty. At some levels, given the gravity of everything happening in the world, it probably is. But it counts. Trump appears to be willing to let Elon Musk get away with the jeans-and-t-shirt getup, but maybe the richest man in the world has his own set of rules. Also, maybe their relationship is much stronger than others and Elon doesn't need to make a good impression — or maybe Trump isn’t all good with it and just hasn't had a public blowup yet with Musk.

I remember specifically one occasion, at a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Japan, when Trump complained about my socks. Which is to say, he pays attention to that sort of thing. There was a reason he greeted Zelensky with the sarcastic line about getting “all dressed up.” He noticed and took it as a slight. Was it intended as such? It doesn’t matter. Often, in politics, perception is reality.

Second, if English isn’t your first language, you should use an interpreter. There was one exchange where someone in the Oval Office asked Zelensky about his attire, and his response was something to the effect that when the war was over he would “wear the costume.”

Afterward — but only afterward — I learned that “costume” is the literal translation of the Ukrainian word for “suit.” But afterward is too late. Personally, if I were sitting there in a suit and heard that, I might be wondering if the guy had just called me a clown. That's not helpful.

World leaders use interpreters for a reason when having high-level meetings to avoid such subtle misunderstandings. During Trump’s first term, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel would use interpreters for the serious discussions, and they both speak nearly perfect English. Idle chit-chat? Dinner conversation? Different stories. But for the really critical stuff, you cannot afford to have something go sideways over a misinterpreted word or phrase.

Third — moving away from the procedural and to the substantive — have the hard conversations when the doors are closed and the cameras are off. Bilateral meetings like Friday's are typically scripted events. The routine is well-known to almost everyone. You smile for the cameras and shake of hands. Everybody says how productive the meetings were, and how much they look forward to continued dialogue.

At the very worst, you might say something like, “We don’t see eye-to-eye on everything, but we are continuing to talk.” In the world of bilateral meetings, that is about as close as you should ever get to confrontation. The famous scene in the "Love Actually" film — where the British prime minster (High Grant) takes the American president (Billy Bob Thornton) to task — is pure Hollywood fiction.

Finally — and this is probably the most difficult but also the most important point — leaders need to realize when they are an impediment to getting a deal done.

I think that some would suggest that personalities don’t or shouldn’t play a role in international affairs, that geopolitical decision-making should be driven exclusively by facts and circumstances, national interests and long-term considerations. And yes, those things play a role. But to think that just because people get elected to office makes them something other than human is to deny our nature. Personalities matter. Likeability matters. Demeanor matters.

When those things are an impediment to a relationship, or to getting a deal done — as Zelensky’s is — you need to give strong consideration to getting out of the way.

We saw this with John Bolton in the first Trump administration. Several foreign governments did not want him at the table, ever. Whether that was policy or personality doesn’t matter. If people don’t even want to deal with you, it is impossible to convince them that they are wrong.

Most top-tier world leaders know all of this. But decisions aren’t made just by them in this world. It is somewhat sad to think that the well-being of thousands — millions, even — can turn on naïve mistakes by unprepared leaders like Zelensky. But they do.

I have no idea whether Zelensky will come back to Washington to try to fix things. Part of me hopes he does, but another part of me worries that he might only make things worse. At least other leaders might learn from his mistakes.

Mick Mulvaney, a former congressman from South Carolina, is a contributor to NewsNation. He served as director of the Office of Management and Budget, acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and White House chief of staff under President Donald Trump.

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