Mitch McConnell Wears A Tan Suit, Even Though It Caused A Scandal For Obama

David Moye
·3 min read

Once again, the specter of a tan suit is rearing its head in Washington, D.C. This time, though, the offender isn’t Barack Obama but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

On Monday, the term “tan suit” was trending on Twitter after photos were released showing the Kentucky Republican sporting some pale beige menswear while meeting with President Donald Trump.

As readers who were alive in 2014 will no doubt recall, then-President Obama wore something similar at a press conference that August, rocking American democracy to its very foundations. Republican officials like Rep. Peter King (N.Y.) criticized Obama for the grave misstep.

King told reporters the president’s outfit indicated a “lack of seriousness,” as The Washington Post noted last year.

Joking aside ― tan suits are obviously not a big deal, regardless of who’s wearing them ― references to Obama’s suit have become a kind of shorthand in the Trump era, as the Post notes ― a way of contrasting the relative lack of scandals during Obama’s presidency with the near-constant ones that have characterized the Trump administration.

On Monday, many Twitter users pointed out the hypocrisy of McConnell wearing the same kind of threads that Republicans once attacked a Democratic president for donning.

But it turns out, people did have a good reason to criticize McConnell’s outfit.

Some people speculated there was a method to McConnell’s madness:

Some suggested that other colors seemed more apt for the majority leader.

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Actor Kirk Acevedo, known for his work on shows like “Oz,” “Fringe” and “Arrow,” was brave enough to ask the real question on everyone’s mind: Who wore it better?

Also on HuffPost

APTOPIX Obama

President Barack Obama leaves after speaking about the economy, Iraq, and Ukraine, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, before convening a meeting with his national security team on the militant threat in Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Barack Obama leaves after speaking about the economy, Iraq, and Ukraine, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, before convening a meeting with his national security team on the militant threat in Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

US-POLITICS-OBAMA

US President Barack Obama holds a press conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, August 28, 2014. Obama said Thursday he would send his Secretary of State John Kerry to the Middle East to build support in the region against Islamic State (IS) jihadists. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

US-POLITICS-OBAMA

US President Barack Obama holds a press conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, August 28, 2014. Obama said Thursday it was plain for the world to see that Russian forces were fighting in Ukraine. Obama said in a press briefing he planned to host Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko at the White House in September to discuss the escalating crisis. AFP PHOTO / Mandel NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

US-POLITICS-OBAMA

US President Barack Obama holds a press conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, August 28, 2014. Obama said Thursday it was plain for the world to see that Russian forces were fighting in Ukraine. Obama said in a press briefing he planned to host Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko at the White House in September to discuss the escalating crisis. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

Obama

President Barack Obama smiles as he takes questions about the economy, Iraq, and Ukraine, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, before convening a meeting with his national security team on the militant threat in Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
President Barack Obama smiles as he takes questions about the economy, Iraq, and Ukraine, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, before convening a meeting with his national security team on the militant threat in Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Obama

President Barack Obama speaks the economy, Iraq, and Ukraine, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, before convening a meeting with his national security team on the militant threat in Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
President Barack Obama speaks the economy, Iraq, and Ukraine, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, before convening a meeting with his national security team on the militant threat in Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Obama

President Barack Obama arrives in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, to speak about the economy, Iraq, and Ukraine, before convening a meeting with his national security team on the militant threat in Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Barack Obama arrives in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, to speak about the economy, Iraq, and Ukraine, before convening a meeting with his national security team on the militant threat in Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Obama

President Barack Obama speaks about the economy, Iraq, and Ukraine, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, before convening a meeting with his national security team on the militant threat in Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
President Barack Obama speaks about the economy, Iraq, and Ukraine, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, before convening a meeting with his national security team on the militant threat in Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Obama

President Barack Obama takes questions in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, before convening a meeting with his national security team on the militant threat in Syria and Iraq. Obama also spoke about the economy and Ukraine. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
President Barack Obama takes questions in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, before convening a meeting with his national security team on the militant threat in Syria and Iraq. Obama also spoke about the economy and Ukraine. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Obama

President Barack Obama leaves the podium after speaking in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, before convening a meeting with his national security team on the militant threat in Syria and Iraq. Obama also spoke about the economy and Ukraine. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
President Barack Obama leaves the podium after speaking in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, before convening a meeting with his national security team on the militant threat in Syria and Iraq. Obama also spoke about the economy and Ukraine. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.