Tie-less Tsipras Raises Eyebrows in White House Lawn

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras became the first Western leader to appear in an official White House meeting with an American President, without wearing a neck tie.

Tsipras; a former Communist youth leader, has never worn a tie in his political career. A tie, for his brand of leftist politics, is associated with the establishment that he so much despised.

“He was a young leader of the left. Ties do not fit that profile. And from a certain point onward, it became a political statement,” a government source recently commented.

According to rumour, Tsipras last wore a tie while serving in the military, in 2004.

In 2015, shortly before he became prime minister, reporters asked Tsipras whether the responsibilities of his new post would lead him to adopt a more formal dress etiquette.

Tsipras; who up until then only wore casual shirts and turtle necks, replied that he would put on a tie “only when (Greece’s) debt is cut”.

Some American journalists, however,  were left wondering why a Western leader appears next to the American president tie-less.

.@POTUS and #Greek Prime Minister @tsipras_eu pool spray before their lunch in the Cabinet Room. pic.twitter.com/6iWbdSvcKO

— Sean Doody (@swdoody) October 17, 2017