'Still a good look': Barack Obama celebrates 10 years of tan suit gate

On August 28, 2024, Barack Obama marked the 10th anniversary of the 'tan suit gate' by sharing a lighthearted post on social media
PUBLISHED AUG 29, 2024
In 2014, Barack Obama’s choice of a tan suit during a press conference on ISIS strategy drew strong criticism from Republicans (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
In 2014, Barack Obama’s choice of a tan suit during a press conference on ISIS strategy drew strong criticism from Republicans (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC: Former president Barack Obama took to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, August 28, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of one of the strongest controversies of his presidency- the 'tan suit gate.'

Sharing an image of himself in the outfit that he donned during a press conference on August 28, 2014, along with Kamala Harris' tan suit during her first appearance at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, Obama wrote, "How it started. How it's going. Ten years later, and it's still a good look!"



 

What is the tan suit gate?

According to USA Today, Obama held a press conference back in 2014 as the then-commander in chief, where he stated of the US military response to ISIS, "We don't have a strategy yet." Despite the serious nature of the discourse, it was Obama's attire that triggered the Republican outrage.

Rep Peter King (R-NY) stated at the time, "He looked like he was on his way to a party at the Hamptons."

In a separate interview, he shared, "You have the whole world watching, you have a week, two weeks of anticipation of what the United States is going to do, and then for him to walk out – I'm not trying to be trivial here – but in a light suit, light tan suit, saying that first he wants to talk about what most Americans care about, and he said that's the vision of the second-quarter numbers on the economy."

Dark suits are the protocol for serious meetings. As such, conservative commentators were strongly critical of Obama for discussing a pressing national security issue dressed as he was.

Pictured (L-R): Donald Trump, Barack Obama (Getty Images)
Donald Trump and Barack Obama in their usual dark suits in the White House (Getty Images)

Late Fox News Business host Lou Dobbs commented back then, "I think it was shocking to a lot of people."

"Khaki is a sort of wishy-washy color," wrote New York Times chief fashion critic Vanessa Friedman, and therefore "a particularly odd choice for a discussion of wishy-washy military policy."

Obama has regularly made cheeky reference to the 'scandal' since, with his White House even sharing the hashtag "#YesWeTan" ahead of the 2015 State of the Union speech in 2015.

Internet believes tan suit 'never looked this good'

Netizens were happy to join Obama in his quip, celebrating a decade of the tan suit scandal of the Obama White House. The following tweets demonstrate the predominant takes.

"Happy 10 year anniversary of the tan suit! 🔥🔥" wished a person.



 

"How ever did we survive it?" sarcastically inquired another.



 

"Might be #1 for best dressed POTUS," quipped a third.



 

"Tan suits have never looked this good, 😍" shared a fourth.



 

"Well, this is f*****g epic," cheered a fifth.



 

"Time flies! It's been 10 years since the epic Tan Suit Scandal. This will trigger PTSD for some people 😂😂😂," shared another.



 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

MORE STORIES

After likening Trump’s immigration tactics to Nazi Germany, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker denied ever comparing him to Adolf Hitler
3 days ago
Melania Trump reportedly distanced herself from President Donald Trump’s East Wing renovation, privately questioning the historic demolition, WSJ reports
3 days ago
Donald Trump expressed willingness to work with Democrats while noting that the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, has 'been terrible'
5 days ago
Trump also brought up an incident from 30 years back when Mikie Sherrill was not allowed to participate in her graduation ceremony
6 days ago
Bernie Sanders said, 'So long as we have nation-states, you’ve got to have borders. If you don’t have any borders, then you don’t have a nation'
6 days ago
John Fetterman told Sean Hannity he’s fed up with his party painting Republicans, and especially Trump, as racists, Nazis, or fascists
Oct 23, 2025
George Santos says Zohran Mamdani's takeover of City Hall would turn New York City into a 'very dangerous place'
Oct 22, 2025
Chuck Schumer said that things are getting worse every day for the American people
Oct 22, 2025
Robert De Niro said Trump 'is not going to leave the White House' and urges Americans to 'strap on their balls and do something about it'
Oct 20, 2025
The new aircraft is to be used to replace an older plane flown by Kristi Noem
Oct 20, 2025