12 Years Ago, Barack Obama Stepped Up to the Podium in a Tan Suit

Rachel RaposasFri, August 28, 2026 at 8:48 PM UTC

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Former President Barack Obama on Aug. 28, 2014 wearing a tan suit, which infamously drew intense scrutiny from his critics.Credit: Olivier Douliery/White house Pool/Corbis/VCG via Getty -

President Barack Obama’s tan suit moment in 2014 sparked outsized scrutiny from his critics and conservative media, who spent a whole news cycle decrying the outfit as “unpresidential” and more akin to a Hamptons party getup

The outfit became one of the most memorable controversies of Obama’s presidency and a lasting cultural moment

Obama has since embraced the moment, most recently poking fun at the fashion choice on Larry David’s Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness

Few outfits have sparked political backlash and controversy quite like former President Barack Obama’s tan suit.

Twelve years ago, on Aug. 28, 2014, Obama got dressed in a light beige suit and a gray striped tie to attend a press briefing at the White House. The fashion choice immediately gained traction with his critics, who said the look was “unpresidential,” lacked “seriousness” and looked to be something one might wear to a Hamptons party.

While it’s perhaps most common to see male politicians wearing dark-colored suits for their official appearances, there’s no dress code or protocol that barred this break from the norm. Former Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton had also worn markedly similar outfits in comparable hues before the scrutiny Obama faced for the same look.

Former President Barack Obama on Aug. 28, 2014, wearing a tan suit, which infamously drew intense scrutiny from his critics.Credit: Alex Wong/Getty

The infamous tan suit unexpectedly became one of the most memorable — and overblown — controversies of Obama’s eight years in the White House, often cited as an example of the disproportionate scrutiny Obama faced as the nation’s first Black president.

Since then, the outfit has taken on a life of its own, and Obama himself has come to own the moment in creative ways.

Former President Barack Obama speaks in the tan suitCredit: SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty

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In 2024 — on the 10th anniversary of what he called “Suitgate” — the former president poked fun at then-Vice President Kamala Harris’ tan suit, heavily reminiscent of his own, in a post on Instagram. Obama then shared a side-by-side photo of himself and Harris in their respective beige getups.

“How it started. How it’s going. Ten years later, and it’s still a good look! IWillVote.com,” Obama wrote in the caption.

More recently, in August 2026, Obama made a special cameo in the series finale of Larry David’s Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness and reimagined the tan suit debacle as David’s fault. The episode cast David as Obama’s fictitious adviser who ultimately helped the former president choose the controversial suit.

After spilling a drink on Obama’s navy blue suit — the one the president intended to wear to the press conference in the satirical show — David tries to cover his tracks by directing Obama instead to the tan suit. After all, it’s “casual Friday,” David’s caricature of himself justifies.

Once the suit is on, David reassures Obama with a hilariously ironic line: “People are going to be talking about this for a long, long time.”

At the dedication ceremony for the Obama Presidential Center in June, some high-profile attendees wore tan suits in honor of the former president’s silliest controversy, including late-night veterans Stephen Colbert and David Letterman.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”