President Joe Biden touted the July jobs report on Friday but it was his tan suit that made a statement to many on social media as it was a possible nod to former President Barack Obama.
Biden appeared in the East Room to discuss the economic recovery the country is experiencing from the coronavirus pandemic. Despite the surging delta variant, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the economy added 943,000 jobs and unemployment fell to 5.4%, a new low amid the pandemic.
“My message today is not one of celebration. It’s one to remind us we have a lot of hard work left to be done, both to beat the delta variant and to continue our advance of economic recovery,” the president said.
Biden added that the policies of his administration were creating an economic way forward for the country.
“Now while our economy is far from complete, and while we undoubtedly will have ups and downs along the way as we continue to battle the delta surge of COVID, what is indisputable now is this: The Biden plan is working. The Biden plan produces results, and the Biden plan is moving the country forward,” Biden said.
He delivered the jobs report in a tan suit similar to the one then-President Obama wore in August 2014, which did not go unnoticed by the media.
“Here in the East Room, I’m listening to the president. The subjects are serious – the economy, vaccinations, jobs – but it’s hard to focus, since I was so distracted by his TAN SUIT,” BBC News correspondent Tara McKelvey tweeted.
Veteran journalist Dan Rather joked that Biden was attempting to get a rise out of Fox News.
“I’m going with the theory that Joe Biden wearing a tan suit is a deliberate attempt to troll Fox News,” Rather tweeted.
The tan suit imbroglio has become one of urban legend after Obama angered Republicans when he wore it to address the nation on Russia and ISIS seven years ago. There were 4,000 tweets associated with Obama’s sartorial style with the hashtags like #TheAudacityOfTaupe trending, per The Recount.
Republicans and conservative commentators accused the 44th president of not taking his role as commander-in-chief seriously.
“ISIS is watching. If you were the head of ISIS, if you were Baghdadi, if you were anyone in the ISIS, would you come away from yesterday afraid of the United States?,” Former Rep. Peter King told NewsMaxTV at the time.
“Would you be afraid that the United States was going to use all its power to crush ISIS? Or would you think here’s a person who’s going to go out and do a few fundraisers over the Labor Day weekend?”
Wednesday marked Obama’s 60th birthday. The White House has declined as to comment as to why Biden chose his suit but many saw it as an homage to his former boss.
“Biden is trolling Fox News right now. Biden is wearing a tan suit during Obama’s birthday week,” a social media user tweeted.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki even got in on the joke.
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