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Barack Obama tan suit controversy
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this post was submitted on 09 Aug 2026
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This article needs to give some cultural context. I read it all and I still don't understand why there was a controversy.
Is it because tan is considered less formal?
It was unusual. You can imagine the intrigue that would occur if Trump did something like this. Why the tan suit? What is he distracting us from? Step out of your subjective shoes for a moment. The blue team hates the red team. The red team hates the blue team. Just about anything out of the ordinary the other team does is controversial. It's exacerbated by the sensationalist media who want your ears and eyeballs to show you ads and by politicians who will make a big stink about everything to keep you paying attention to them so that you remember to vote for them in the next election.
The people who complained about it are racist/bigotted and don't like Obama because he's black. At the time it wasn't really socailly acceptable to be publicly racist so they would make a big deal out of other stupid random shit directed at him. They would not have cared at all about the tan suit if Obama was white.
That's why his fist bumps with his wife was "terrorist fist jab" and he was joked for liking Dijon on his hot dog.
Obama being elected broke a lot of R's brains and them and Fox News were looking for anything, anything to cast aspersions on him for. Early on a Fox news commentator called a fist bump he shared with his wife a 'terrorist fist jab'. Just absolutely silly people.
if any other president had worn it, it wouldn't have been controversial - but everything is controversial when the president is black and the GOP is racist as all fuck
I understand that, but there must be something to base it on? A reason why it could possibly be seen as somewhat not OK to wear tan in this context?
racism. pure bullshit racism.
Back then they said he look like a used car salesman. But keep in mind Regan wore a tan suit too.
The outrage was over anything. Like Obama wearing loose jeans because he lost weight during presidency. Or Michelle making monkey noises to amuse daughter.
You can tell its dishonest because look at 47 and their comments. Total 180.
I want to make clear that I totally understand that there's a clear double standard, as there's always is with Democrats, moreso if there're not white.
But also thanks, the "used car salesman" thing is the kind of context I was looking for. It doesn't justify it but helps me understand what they're even basing their criticism on.
He was talking about serious things and tan is an unserious color. It's never okay for a president to act unserious unless he's a white male Republican, in which case it's fine.
Racism is the context, the justification, and the motive. It's not really much more than that.
I understand that Republicans are racist and use racism as a weapon. But "tan is an unserious color" is the kind of context I was looking for and helps me understand what they're even basing their attack on. Thanks!
No. Fox "News" just found nothing factual to criticise. So they complained about his clothing instead.
I think because tan = white and a white suit seems like a pimp or smth?