Although all three networks covered Barack Obama's admission on Thursday that "we don't have a strategy" for responding to Islamic militants in Syria, ABC, CBS and NBC journalists were really animated by the President's tan suit. GMA news reader Amy Robach on Friday enthused, "Finally this morning, some presidential critics are saying, 'yes, we tan!'" [For a video montage, see below. MP3 audio here.]
Over on NBC's Today, Dylan Dreyer lectured Twitter on the superficiality of such a topic: "President Obama had a very important press conference. He was talking about all sorts of world issues. So of course social media was focused on those world issues, right? Of course not. They were focused on his tan suit." Dreyer mocked Twitter in the midst of NBC's obsessing about the suit.
It must also be asked: Is there anything more hypocritical than a morning show journalist decrying superficiality? NBC and ABC heavily traffic in cat videos and endless fashion segments.
GMA's Lara Spencer echoed Dreyer and lectured, "I think [Obama] was not really thinking about the color suit he was wearing." ABC meteorologist Ginger Zee weighed in and agreed, "Probably concerned about some other things."
Over on CBS This Morning, Anthony Mason approved, "I think the President wore it well." Co-anchor Gayle King marveled, "I do too and I'm thinking we're not used to seeing him in such a light suit."
On Thursday, the NBC Nightly News led with Joan Rivers's health scare before moving on to ISIS and Obama's admission at the news conference.
A partial transcript of the August 29 Today segment is below:
7:18
MATT LAUER: Well, Willie said [Everyone starts laughing]– We all thought it didn't fit the way some of his other suits fit.
AL ROKER: You're going to like the way you look, I guarantee it.
LAUER: He's a really good dresser, but I don't think the tan was the problem.
HALL: The tailoring was off.
GEIST: I love the tan.
