The dress code did not call for khaki, but nonetheless, the tan suits were out in full force for the glittering opening of Barack Obama’s presidential library in Chicago on Thursday.
David Letterman, Stephen Colbert, and the Obama Foundation board chairman, Martin Nesbitt, all arrived at the event in the same khaki suits, paying cheeky homage to Obama’s notorious tan suit from August 2014.
At the time, Obama wore the tan suit at a news conference about the United States’ response to the Islamic State. Whatever he said that day about Syria is lost to popular memory. Instead, the tan outfit drew all the attention and hand-wringing, particularly from Republicans and conservative media, who deemed it insufficiently formal for the West Wing.
“It was inspired by a very good friend of mine, who made tan suits famous,” Nesbitt said during a speech, stepping back from the lectern to show off his tan suit in full. “And I don’t know about the rest of you all, but I thought he looked pretty good wearing his, so I decided to wear one myself.”
The former president appeared to approve: As Nesbitt took the stage, Obama could be heard saying, “I love that tan suit.”
The Bit and the Backstory
Nesbitt and Colbert committed to the bit, wearing striped ties that echoed the one Obama wore with his suit more than a decade ago. Letterman, now well into his “can’t tell me what to do” retirement, paired his with a more insouciant T-shirt.
The men’s suits alluded to the 2014 controversy that sparked days of breathless scrutiny. Representative Peter King, Republican of New York, told Newsmax at the time: “The suit was a metaphor for his lack of seriousness.” Lou Dobbs of Fox News thought it was “shocking to a lot of people.” Mainstream publications assessed the merits of the suit itself, with GQ and New York magazine deeming it “sad.”
Obama’s defenders pointed out that past presidents, including Ronald Reagan, had worn tan suits in the Oval Office, particularly during Washington’s sweltering summers.
The Legacy of the Tan Suit
Not since Abraham Lincoln’s stovepipe hat has a single article of clothing been so closely associated with a U.S. president. Coverage lasted for days, and the tan suit controversy received its own thorough Wikipedia page.
Out of office, Obama has winked back at #khakigate. In 2022, he joked that Robert McCurdy, who painted his official portrait, “talked me out of wearing a tan suit.” Other Democrats have since worn tan suits, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, who opted for one during the first night of the Democratic National Convention in 2024.
As for Obama’s actual tan suit? It is not on display in the library. The former president gave it away.
The Bottom Line
At the opening of Barack Obama’s presidential library in Chicago, Stephen Colbert, David Letterman, and Martin Nesbitt wore tan suits as a cheeky tribute to Obama’s infamous 2014 tan suit controversy. The outfit had sparked days of conservative criticism at the time, with critics deeming it insufficiently formal. Obama himself appeared to approve of the homage, saying “I love that tan suit” as Nesbitt took the stage.
