# Which former U.S. Presidents were the biggest jerks? \[personalities, not policies\] **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 24, 2017, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-former-u-s-presidents-were-the-biggest-jerks-personalities-not-policies/794519 "2017-08-24T03:41:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-former-u-s-presidents-were-the-biggest-jerks-personalities-not-policies/794519/21 "2017-08-24T21:43:59Z")
That (First Term) Grover Cleveland, What an Asshole! ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-former-u-s-presidents-were-the-biggest-jerks-personalities-not-policies/794519/22 "2017-08-24T21:49:49Z")
I’m just speculating, but anybody who comes up with the phrase: “Speak softly but carry a big stick” sounds like a major asshole to me. I’m not implying he was a bad President… Just say’n. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-former-u-s-presidents-were-the-biggest-jerks-personalities-not-policies/794519/23 "2017-08-24T23:28:27Z")
Nixon a good President in many ways but so paranoid and nasty a person in even more ways. Johnson was by most accounts a massive asshole. Andrew Jackson was pretty much willful ignorance embodied. Now my favorite President could be quite the asshole but mostly to those who needed a good kick in the rear-end. Theodore Roosevelt could be quite ornery and upset the political machines perhaps more than any other man. His good far outweighed the bad. John Adams, who was a great founding father (probably #3), was a not so great President and generally rubbed far more people the wrong way then not throughout his life. But man was he honest and fair. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-former-u-s-presidents-were-the-biggest-jerks-personalities-not-policies/794519/24 "2017-08-25T03:13:45Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’ve heard Ford had a wicked sense of humor. But he concealed it in public situations because he felt the public image of elected officials should be dignified. (A bit off-topic, as she wasn’t, isn’t, and won’t be a former US Prez, but the same is often said of Queen Liz.) ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-former-u-s-presidents-were-the-biggest-jerks-personalities-not-policies/794519/25 "2017-08-25T08:50:54Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > I’m just speculating, but anybody who comes up with the phrase: “Speak softly but carry a big stick” sounds like a major asshole to me. > > I’m not implying he was a bad President… Just say’n. Teddy is a bit all over the place - in some respects he was a massive macho asshole, while in others he was surprisingly progressive and sensitive. I have a hard time filtering out what parts of his personality were due to the times he lived in and how much was uniquely Teddy. ---
**Author:** ![Renz\_Medicinal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Renz\_Medicinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renz_Medicinal)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-former-u-s-presidents-were-the-biggest-jerks-personalities-not-policies/794519/26 "2017-08-25T09:12:50Z")
John Kennedy who was a real cad on the subject of women, though I remember him better for winning a presidential debate through better diction and body movement. George HW would achieve the same feat 25 years later (the debate I mean.) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-former-u-s-presidents-were-the-biggest-jerks-personalities-not-policies/794519/27 "2017-08-25T10:55:02Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Hard to say with Jackson. Did he defend an unpopular cause as a matter of principle? Or as a means of starting a feud with as many people as possible? The Eatons were his friends. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-former-u-s-presidents-were-the-biggest-jerks-personalities-not-policies/794519/28 "2017-08-25T15:17:27Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Teddy is a bit all over the place - in some respects he was a massive macho asshole, while in others he was surprisingly progressive and sensitive. I have a hard time filtering out what parts of his personality were due to the times he lived in and how much was uniquely Teddy. But he wasn’t Teddy. He hated that nickname. His friends and family all called him Theodore. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2017, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-former-u-s-presidents-were-the-biggest-jerks-personalities-not-policies/794519/29 "2017-08-26T01:38:37Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > The OP clearly laid out that he’s looking for behavior while president. “Former” is to keep it from becoming a “Trump is an asshole” thread. I see that now. I skipped over the OPs point 2. Sorry for the highjack. LBJ still has to be in the top five though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-former-u-s-presidents-were-the-biggest-jerks-personalities-not-policies/794519.md?page=1)