Obama Claps Back at Tan Suit Critics, Reveals Where the Suit Is Now

The year was 2014 and then-President Barack Obama caused a political stir by doing something seemingly innocuous — wearing a tan suit.

Obama donned the light-colored suit for a news conference about the U.S. response to terrorist group ISIS on Aug. 28, 2014, according to USA Today.

Conservatives expressed outrage and summoned the fashion police. A panel of experts on Fox News called the look “unpresidential,” while former Republican Congressman Peter King told CNN the suit “detracted from the seriousness of the moment.”

“Suitgate” returned to the spotlight this week, when Obama sat down for an interview on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.

While touring the Obama Presidential Center Museum in Chicago — which opens on Juneteenth — host Stephen Colbert jokingly asked Obama if a portion of the museum will be dedicated to “greatest blunders.”

“Is the tan suit here?” the late-night comic asked in a clip from the episode.

“Listen, I own that tan suit proudly,” Obama said, suggesting the suit is at home, instead of the museum.

Colbert handed the former president a framed picture of himself in the suit and asked his thoughts. “I look great,” Obama said.

When pressed to describe his appearance in the photo, he had a one-word response. “Fly,” the former president told Colbert.

Obama also talked about his favorite things to do in Chicago, showed off items in his museum, and discussed more serious topics like presidential abuse of power.

“The White House shouldn’t be able to direct the attorney general to go around prosecuting whoever the president wants prosecuted,” he said in another part of the interview.

While noting that the Justice Department falls under the executive branch, he said the department should remain independent. “The idea is that the attorney general is the people’s lawyer. It’s not the president’s consigliere,” he stated without naming names.

The Obama Presidential Center Museum looks back on 44’s presidency, along with the people and events that helped shape his legacy. The museum opens to the public on June 19, 2026. You can find more details about the museum on its website.