• News
  • Life
  • TV & Film
  • Beauty
  • Style
  • Home
  • News
    • Celebrity
    • Entertainment
    • Politics
    • Royal Family
  • Life
    • Animals
    • Food & Drink
    • Women's Health
    • Mental Health
    • Sex & Relationships
    • Travel
    • Real Life
  • TV & Film
    • True Crime
    • Documentaries
    • Netflix
    • BBC
    • ITV
    • Tyla Recommends
  • Beauty
    • Hair
    • Make-up
    • Skincare
  • Style
    • Home
    • Fashion
    • Shopping
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
Submit Your Content
Why this photo of Barack Obama actually sparked major controversy

Home> News> Politics

Updated 13:40 7 Aug 2025 GMT+1Published 13:37 7 Aug 2025 GMT+1

Why this photo of Barack Obama actually sparked major controversy

Barack Obama was 44th president of the US from 2009 to 2017

Britt Jones

Britt Jones

Featured Image Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News, Barack Obama, Fashion

Britt Jones
Britt Jones

Advert

Advert

Advert

Barack Obama served as the 44th president of the United States, and while he faced a lot of criticism at the time, one of his strangest controversies seems to have been forgotten about.

US politics often seems to trickle down to the rest of the world, and with Donald Trump now in office, we’re all listening to the news to find out what’s happening and when.

But back when Obama was in charge between 2009 to 2017, a bizarre controversy could have been easily missed by anyone outside of the States.

We are all familiar with Trump’s mishaps after he took office in 2017, following his victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton the previous year.

Advert

He then took on his second term this year after he beat Kamala Harris while Joe Biden was president.

Barack Obama's controversy was sparked during a press conference (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Barack Obama's controversy was sparked during a press conference (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

This year has been a world of controversy for the current POTUS, such as his alleged affiliation with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, immigration policies, his partnership with Elon Musk and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Anyway, you’ll probably have no idea just why Obama got so much flack back in his presidential days - particularly because it was over his fashion choices.

Advert

Back on 28 August, 2014, Obama held a live press conference where he discussed whether the US military would escalate its response to the Islamic State (ISIS) group in Syria.

He stood behind the podium and addressed the press wearing a tan suit, even though he was previously known to wear dark coloured suits - much like the presidents before his tenure.

Because of this choice of colour, critics slated Obama for being either 'unprofessional' and 'too casual' for a president, with his suit making headlines and even being talked about on TV for days afterwards.

The White House spoke out following the controversy (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
The White House spoke out following the controversy (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Advert

Amid all the talk, the White House said at the time: “He loves that suit.”

When an image of Obama wearing the suit was recently shared to Instagram, people had some choice words.

One user said: “Remember when this was scandal, I would kill to have this be the only bad thing we’d say about our president, we had it all and didn’t know it.”

A second joked: “They couldn’t handle his swag.”

Advert

Someone else added: “Who cares what he's wearing? The clothes don't make the man, it's words & actions.”

A fourth raged on: “Remember when this was the biggest concern in politics?”

And a final user bluntly penned: “Like literally who cares it’s a suit.”

In the years since, the former president has made references to the 'scandal', saying in his final press conference in 2017: “Let me start out by saying that I was sorely tempted to wear a tan suit today.

Advert

“But Michelle, whose fashion sense is a little better than mine, tells me that's not appropriate in January.”

Now, tan suits are all the rage.

  • Donald Trump has only just responded to Barack Obama ‘mocking him’ in 2011
  • What Donald Trump and Barack Obama were really laughing about at Jimmy Carter’s funeral has finally been revealed
  • Donald Trump moves official White House portrait of Barack Obama to unusual place and people aren't impressed
  • Donald Trump sparks outrage after posting bizarre AI video of Barack Obama

Choose your content:

13 mins ago
2 hours ago
3 hours ago
  • Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
    13 mins ago

    Why Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had his ex-wife’s body dug up and moved to unidentified grave

    Robert F. Kennedy's estranged wife was exhumed and moved some 700ft away

    News
  • Joe Raedle/Getty Images
    2 hours ago

    Eye-watering amount of money Trump family have made since second presidency

    The Trumps returned to the White House for another term in January this year

    News
  • Getty Stock Image
    3 hours ago

    Terrifying stimulation reveals what could happen in first 30 minutes of nuclear war

    The simulation claims to show what would happen if the United States unleashed nuclear war on Russia

    News
  • Sky News
    3 hours ago

    Donald Trump just told UN countries they're ‘going to hell’ and people don’t know what to think

    Trump has been addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York for the first time since January

    News