Has anyone ever met a sitting or former President of the United States? If so, what was the occasion?
I got to say ‘Hi’ to Jimmy Carter while he signed a copy of one of his books for me last year. Not much of a meeting, I know.
I have to say, I don’t think there will be many affirmative replies to this thread. Meeting heads of state is not a common thing at all, and meaningful meetings are even rarer.
Kind of - the USAF celebrated it’s 50th anniversary while I was in & stationed at the Pentagon. President Clinton gave a speech in the courtyard. I brought my very very pregnant wife, and was able to get her a seat very close to the front.
So, I shook his hand & said Hi, and my wife had a brief slightly-more-in-depth conversation with him.
I don’t know if that counts as meeting,but there ya go.
Yes. The current president. He was at an awards banquet in our honor at the Governor’s Mansion in Austin.
I have been in the same room at different times with one president, one former president, and a vice president. I watched another president jog past me as I sat on a bench. I met and shook hands with a man who was then a Senator and later became vice president.
Close, but no cigar for me. I used to work at the Smithsonian and at the National Garrery of Art. Among the things I did was set up sound and media systems for lectures, speeches, or after-dinner remarks at large grand opening and/or fund raising events. I have had brief encounters with numerous royals, Nobel-prize winners, and other celebrity-types. Most of them I actually met with briefly to confirm an expected sequence of events for whatever program they were part of.
The presidents had minions to do that – I never exchanged a word with any of them.
Oh, and Jimmy Carter gave me a solid gold peanut necklace/pendant when I was born.
I was in the embassy ‘rope line’ in Uganda when Bill and Hillary visited. Shook both their hands and spoke to Hillary. I was in the embassy audience when Reagan and Nancy thanked all of us for the support in Moscow in 1988. Didn’t get to meet him, as I was busy chasing Dave Brubeck out the door to shake his hand (of the two, I respected Dave more). I did meet George Shultz at that gig, though. He was only two or three steps away from being da man.
I met President Clinton at his book signing in San Francisco a few years ago. He wasn’t really saying anything to anyone, but he took my boob, glanced at my out of the corner of his eye, set my book down, set his pen down, looked me dead into the eye, and stuck his hand out to me.
He said, “Hi, I’m Bill. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I was shocked, because he had seemed pretty stand-offish with everyone. Three things ran through my head:
1: Whoaa. . . what a pretty man. I mean, yeah, he’s old enough to be my grandpa, but those are some pretty eyes.
2: No shit, you’re Bill. That’s why I’m here. You’re the freaking guy who was President for 8 of my last 18 years.
3: DAMNIT DIOSA, shake his goddamn hand.
So I put my hand out and stammered, “I’m Angelique and it’s an honor to meet you, Mr. President.” He smiled, put his other hand on the other side of my hand, shook it for a second, and said something like (I don’t remember the exact quote), “Well, thank you very much. And that’s a beautiful name, perfect for such a beautiful young lady.” He shook my hand for a second longer, signed my book, smiled at me again, handed me my book and that was that.
Well wait, as I was walking out of the room, I turned to look back at him and he was smiling at me.
I realized one of two things is true (or maybe two of two): Bill Clinton was either hitting on me and is a perv (which, I’m cool with) or he is a damn good politician. Probably the latter 
Oh, the lady behind me in line was REALLY pissed that he didn’t talk to her, so she ran up to me outside (as I was talking to some Secret Service who I’d been talking to during the 7 hour wait) and said: “Well, he is just a pervert anyway! He was staring at your boobs the ENTIRE time!!”. Looking back, he is MUCH taller than me and was looking down at me the entire time. So if he did check me out, he wins the medal for the smoothest man. . . ever.
Is that the one with large Asian art exhibition?
BA-DUM-DUM
Thank you, thank you. I’ll be here all weekend.
Whoa. Most appropriate typo… EVER.
Took my BOOK. My BOOK.
b-o-o-k
B-o-o-k.
I was the hitting coach for the Texas Rangers when the current President owned them.
OK, I was lying. I was the general manager.
Woah! The president does get around! [/jealous]
When Bill Clinton was running for his first term, I jumped on a College Democrats bus for a campaign speech just because a friend called to me at the last minute (I wasn’t a college Democrat to be sure). We went and helped set up for Clinton’s speech near downtown New Orleans. The Secret Service watched us and talked to us a few times. Near the time the motorcade was set to arrive, the Secret Service asked for someone to be a ceremonial Moam’back. Hundreds of people raised their hands and the SS picked me for some unknown reason. In case you are wondering, a Moam’Back is a person that helps vehicles park by walking because while motioning arms and saying moam’back, maom’back. That was my job and the SS cleared out a gigantic area in the parking lot where the different motorcade vehicles were to park. I was the only student allowed in the area and cameras were blazing away. I directed each one, opened the doors and greeted each one as they got out. I met Bill Clinton, Hillary, Tipper Gore, and the Congressional black caucus that night. I had this cool temporary clearance badge so I got to meet them all again as they were leaving that night.
BTW, Bill Clinton is a BIG person as in a semi-giant. His whole body is scaled up in a way that is very distinctive. I was 6’1’’ 190 at the time and he dwarfed me. I barely knew of the guy at the time so it wasn’t a celebrity affect. He is just distinctively large.
My mother worked for a Congressman when Nixon was in Congress. They were traveling in the same elevator, with my mother trying to juggle a large briefcase, a large handbag, and me. Instead of offering to take the briefcase to help her with her load, the yet-to-be President took me and carried me to Mom’s office.
Story told to me by my mother. I don’t remember a thing about it.
Considering who it was you met, I figured you did mean boob.
I got to shake hands with Harry S Truman when I received a Girl Scout award at the Truman Library in the 1950’s. The main thing I remember is that Truman was tiny. I was only ten years old, and I was almost as tall as he was.
Been in a room with Clinton and Reagan. Heard about a zillion politicians speak live. Once peed next to a very powerful Senator at National Airport.
Lessee,
I walked within a few feet of Jimmy and Roslyn Carter at a ski resort years ago. This was long after he was president.
My then future brother in law picked up Reagan at the airport during the 1980 presidential campaign (BIL was active in local Republican politics at the time).
My brother met many of the main contenders for the major party presidential nominations when he worked at a TV station in New Hampshire in the mid to late 90s. He certainly met Pat Buchanan and might have met Clinton, I’ll have to check.
I figure all these anecdotes must add up to one presidential meeting.
I have never met the president, but my congressman has seen me naked…does that count?
He was my gynecologist at the time, but that still counts right? 
I shook hands with President Ford once.