Gavin Newsom posted a side-by-side comparison of Karoline Leavitt’s tan blazer and Barack Obama’s controversial 2014 tan suit, captioning it “Who wore it better?” Obama’s suit once triggered a conservative uproar, which he later mocked. Leavitt addressed serious topics at the briefing — including violence in Minnesota, an ICE surge, and the fatal shooting of Renee Good — but her outfit drew no comparable outrage. The episode highlights how fashion can become political ammunition on social media.
Newsom Trolls Leavitt With Obama 'Tan Suit' Throwback: “Who Wore It Better?”
Sean Rayford/Celal Gunes/Getty Images
California Governor Gavin Newsom reignited a familiar political flashpoint by posting a side-by-side image comparing White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s tan blazer to President Barack Obama’s notorious 2014 tan suit.
Gavin Newsom reached back into political lore on Thursday. / Governor Newsom Press Office/X
Newsom shared the comparison on X with the caption, “Who wore it better?” The post paired a photo of Leavitt — wearing a tan blazer and her customary cross pendant during a Thursday briefing — with a throwback image of Obama in the tan suit he wore to a 2014 press briefing on the U.S. military response to ISIS.
Barack Obama himself has often poked fun at the controversy. / Alex Wong/Getty Images
Why the Tan Suit Still Resonates
Obama’s tan suit provoked a notable conservative backlash in 2014, when commentators and some Republican officials criticized the choice of color as “unpresidential” for a briefing about military matters. Obama later lampooned the incident, referencing the suit again at the end of his presidency and sharing it on social media with the caption “How it started. How it’s going,” a post that drew widespread attention.
Kamala Harris wore a tan suit at the 2024 Democratic National Convention. / Barack Obama/X
Leavitt’s Briefing and the Wider Context
Leavitt addressed several weighty topics during the briefing, including rising violence in Minnesota amid an ICE surge and President Donald Trump’s remarks about potentially canceling the midterms. She defended the administration’s handling of immigration enforcement after the fatal shooting of Renee Good, 37, in her SUV by an ICE agent, and she sharply rebuked a veteran reporter who questioned the administration’s account of that incident.
Unlike the reaction to Obama’s suit a decade earlier, Leavitt’s outfit did not trigger a comparable public furor.
Politics, Fashion and Perception
The exchange highlights how sartorial choices can be weaponized in political discourse, particularly on social media. It also underscores how quickly a lighthearted comparison can reopen older partisan debates.
Separately, The Daily Beast recently reported that employees at one of Leavitt’s favored clothing brands, Tuckernuck, are uncomfortable with the label being perceived as an unofficial outfitter for MAGA-aligned figures. Leavitt is named among several high-profile clients who have boosted the Americana brand’s association with the broader Trump world.
Bottom line: The post was a pointed, playful jab from Newsom that draws on a long-running political meme — but the substance of Leavitt’s briefing, not her blazer, remained the central issue for reporters and the public.
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