Barack Obama Shares Strong Opinion About Controversial Tan Suit 10 Years Later
Former President Barack Obama marked the 10-year anniversary of one of his most famous fashion choices with a bit of humor.
The 44th U.S. president shared a throwback photo of the look that he received a significant amount of criticism for on X, formerly Twitter. The photo showed Obama, then 53, wearing a khaki-colored suit with a white button-down shirt and gray striped tie. He wore the outfit while taking reporters’ questions during a press briefing at the White House on Aug. 28, 2014. At the time, he was serving his second term as president.
“How it started. How it's going,” Obama, now 63, wrote to caption the photo, which he paired with a newer photo of Vice President Kamala Harris wearing a similarly-colored suit of her own. “Ten years later, and it's still a good look!” he added, along with a link urging voters to cast ballots in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
While Obama now pokes fun at his suit, the look inspired a wave of controversy at the time he wore it. Due to the suit’s light color, which contrasted sharply with the kinds of navy and black suits many people viewed as more traditional, some critics suggested the look made Obama seem less presidential and less serious.
When Harris, 59, walked onto the stage last week during the first night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill., her suit choice for the evening reminded many of Obama’s 2014 tan suit. Her suit was designed by Chemena Kamali of Chloé, according to MSNBC. The brand’s website lists the suit’s color as “coconut brown” in what the media outlet suggested was a reference to a comment Harris made about coconut trees earlier this year. The phrase went viral at the time and has inspired other coconut-themed references within her campaign.
Obama has endorsed Harris in the upcoming election after previously backing President Joe Biden, who decided to end his bid for re-election last month. Biden quickly threw his support behind Harris, who officially accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for president at the convention last week.