On this day, August 28, 2014, America lived through its most unspeakably horrifying day of shame.

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Last edited Sun May 5, 2024, 08:36 AM - Edit history (3)

Morning Mix

{Six} years ago, Obama was blasted for wearing a tan suit. Now, it’s used to contrast him with Trump.



President Barack Obama takes questions at a news conference on Aug. 28, 2014, which was remembered largely for the tan suit he wore. (Charles Dharapak/AP)

By Antonia Noori Farzan
August 28, 2019 at 6:56 a.m. EDT

Ronald Reagan wore tan suits during his presidency. So did Dwight D. Eisenhower, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

But on Aug. 28, 2014, when President Barack Obama showed up for a White House news conference dressed in beige, the light-colored suit became a matter of national import. Rep. Peter T. King (R-N.Y.) fumed that the suit pointed to a “lack of seriousness” on the president’s part, cable news shows held roundtable discussions, fashion critics and image consultants weighed in, and TV news reporters conducted man-on-the-street interviews to find out what the people of Northeast Ohio thought of the controversial look.

Five years later, however, Tan Suit Gate has taken on a different meaning, coming to symbolize the relative dearth of scandals during the Obama administration. On social media, just about every news item about potential conflicts of interests within the Trump administration and the president’s flouting of norms is met with some variant of “Remember when Obama wore a tan suit?” In the past week alone, the tan suit comparison has been leveled against President Trump’s assertion that he is “the chosen one,” his demand that U.S. companies leave China, and his desire to hold next year’s Group of Seven summit at his Florida golf resort — just to name a few examples.

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Antonia Farzan
Antonia Noori Farzan is a reporter on The Washington Post's Morning Mix team. She previously worked at the Phoenix New Times. Follow https://twitter.com/antoniafarzan

{Six} Years Later, Obama's Tan Suit 'Controversy' Seems More Ridiculous Than Ever
We've got bigger things to worry about, people.

By Elena Hilton
Aug 28, 2019

Update: This post was originally written in 2018. It's now been five whole years since the tan suit. The world has changed in that year. But when it comes to how ridiculous the controversy looks in hindsight, well, nothing's changed at all.

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Obama's Tan Suit Steals the Spotlight at Press Conference



U.S. President Barack Obama makes a statement from the White House Press Briefing Room ahead of a meeting with his national security council in Washington, August 28, 2014. LARRY DOWNING / Reuters

Aug. 28, 2014, 5:01 PM EDT / Updated Aug. 28, 2014, 5:14 PM EDT

President Barack Obama held a press conference Thursday where he discussed important world issues, such as U.S. strategy for dealing with ISIS and growing tensions in Ukraine. But it was the president's outfit — not his words — that captured the attention of many viewers.

As soon as the president stepped up to the podium sporting a tan suit, jokes began to fly on Twitter.

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Joe.My.God. remembered too:

It’s The Fifth Anniversary Of Obama’s Tan Suit Day
August 28, 2019

The Washington Post reports:

Ronald Reagan wore tan suits during his presidency. So did Dwight D. Eisenhower, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. But on Aug. 28, 2014, when President Barack Obama showed up for a White House news conference dressed in beige, the light-colored suit became a matter of national import.

Rep. Peter T. King (R-N.Y.) fumed that the suit pointed to a “lack of seriousness” on the president’s part, cable news shows held roundtable discussions, fashion critics and image consultants weighed in, and TV news reporters conducted man-on-the-street interviews to find out what the people of Northeast Ohio thought of the controversial look.

Five years later, however, Tan Suit Gate has taken on a different meaning, coming to symbolize the relative dearth of scandals during the Obama administration.

Five years ago today, Barack Obama wore a tan suit, the biggest scandal in presidential history. #FYC

Link to tweet

Mon Aug 29, 2022: August 28, 2014: America's day of shame

Fri Aug 28, 2020: August 28, 2014: America's most unspeakably horrible day of shame. WARNING: SCANDALOUS IMAGE

Wed Aug 28, 2019, 10:10 AM: August 28, 2014: America's most unspeakably horrifying day of shame

The shame has clearly become part of the nation's collective unconscious. DUer demmiblue also remembered:

Wed Aug 28, 2019, 09:04 AM: In August 2014, a scandal like no other rocked the Obama presidency to its core...