--- title: Barack Obama and Ryan Seacrest on Blue Jeans description: "I've been unfairly maligned about my jeans," President Obama told Ryan Seacrest, referring to his Gap shopping trip in NYC this week. canonical: https://time.com/25363/president-obama-thinks-he-looks-great-in-jeans-thank-you-very-much/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-03-14T19:00:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:07:49.772Z og:title: Barack Obama: "I've been unfairly maligned about my jeans" og:description: He talked to Ryan Seacrest Friday morning about his taste in clothes. og:url: https://time.com/25363/president-obama-thinks-he-looks-great-in-jeans-thank-you-very-much/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltca41779bfdb816e3/69868580cd684827200939a7/obama-gap.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1500 og:image:height: 844 og:image:alt: Obama-Gap og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Barack Obama: "I've been unfairly maligned about my jeans" twitter:description: He talked to Ryan Seacrest Friday morning about his taste in clothes. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltca41779bfdb816e3/69868580cd684827200939a7/obama-gap.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Obama Thinks He Looks Great in Jeans, Thank You Very Much > Sponsored content. 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Waxman Staff Writer Mar 14, 2014 7:00 PM UTC This morning, Ryan Seacrest debriefed President Barack Obama on his recent shopping trip at the Gap Tuesday before a Democratic fundraiser in New York City that evening. The American Idol host told the President that the Gap sales associate who helped him, Susan Panariello, may have made a comment about his jeans. The President [said](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYTO1OmLqF4)_,_ “I’ve been unfairly maligned about my jeans. The truth is, generally, I look very sharp in jeans.” He said he has been catching a lot of flak for his jeans since he sported loose ones while standing on a pitcher’s mound about four years ago. “I think I’ve paid my penance for that, I got whacked pretty good.” He also claimed his daughters think that, for a Dad, he “displayed reasonably good taste” in clothes, at least in cardigans. He ended up [buying](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/obama-takes-shopping-detour-fundraising-trip) a couple of them for his daughters Sasha and Malia, plus a blue workout jacket for First Lady Michelle Obama. Admitting to Seacrest that it has been a while since he has been in a Gap, the President said the real reason he stopped by the retail store was to commend the chain for increasing its starting salary for its employees. 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