# Who was the funniest president? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 15, 2014, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-funniest-president/693154 "2014-07-15T12:39:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-funniest-president/693154/1 "2014-07-15T12:39:11Z")
Funniest as in ‘ha ha’, and _intentionally_ funny - laughing with them, not at them. So joke with a punchline, not hilariously trying to open a locked door. Which presidents could have been stand-up comedians if they hadn’t gone in to politics? Obama is known to crack a fair few jokes but for my money Reagan (the actor?!) is definitely the funniest, he has a [great delivery and comic timing](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRwyuWcCps0) . Plus, anyone with the balls to joke about [nuclear war](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBow1ToJBFE) has a commitment to comedy I can’t fail to appreciate. He also had a sense of self-depreciation rare for men in lofty positions, Lincoln too shared the quality and sense of humour saying once “…if I were two-faced, would I be showing you this one?” But that’s just me. Which president do you reckon had the best sense of humour and talent for comedy? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-funniest-president/693154/2 "2014-07-15T12:54:00Z")
I do a President Day bar crawl every year. We each wear a shirt with the President’s name we have chosen. The funniest are Taft (me), Clinton (always with a cigar), and Lincoln (Hey Blinkin). Not sure if any of that transfers to real life, but we all pretend to be channelling. ETA: forgot to mention McGovern, but she’s more pathetic than funny, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-funniest-president/693154/3 "2014-07-15T13:18:04Z")
Calvin Coolidge, master of the one-liner. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-funniest-president/693154/4 "2014-07-15T21:19:12Z")
Ronald Reagan was superb at that. He could really tell a joke, and damned well. Bill Clinton was also able to tell a good joke, and Barack Obama is pretty good at it. Poor old Richard Nixon: he tried and tried, but he just didn’t have it in him. Jimmy Carter was also pretty stiff-arsed. I’m not sure Franklin Roosevelt knew what a joke was. Something “working class,” likely as not. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-funniest-president/693154/5 "2014-07-15T21:46:29Z")
Even though I LIKED Reagan, I never thought he was a great joke teller. I think Clinton was probably the most naturally charming and witty. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-funniest-president/693154/6 "2014-07-15T22:37:08Z")
LBJ, if you like scatological and dick jokes. Coolidge may not have actually made this joke, but it [became science](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coolidge_effect). ---
**Author:** ![slowlearner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@slowlearner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slowlearner)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-funniest-president/693154/7 "2014-07-16T00:23:24Z")
W is a war criminal and the worst Pres ever but it’s sad that as Gov of Texas he was a really amusing guy. Hint to country: don’t elect any more of us President… ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-funniest-president/693154/8 "2014-07-16T01:03:38Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Calvin Coolidge, master of the one-liner. I agree. Coolidge had an exceptionally dry sense of humor. He also was a great practical joker. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-funniest-president/693154/9 "2014-07-16T01:50:29Z")
I think Obama always delivers his lines well at the Correspondents’ Dinner. The year he went up there and told jokes, working over Donald Trump, the day before the operation to kill Bin Laden, was pretty impressive. 'Course I’m an Obama fan, so I’m biased. But I think the man can tell a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-funniest-president/693154/10 "2014-07-16T03:07:39Z")
Millard Fillmore, judging by all the old radio-program comedians who claimed to be able to imitate him. (That was a common schtick, according to my father, who grew up during the Golden Age of radio.) ---
**Author:** ![Askthepizzaguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askthepizzaguy/32/9405_2.png) [@Askthepizzaguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askthepizzaguy)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-funniest-president/693154/11 "2014-07-16T07:01:43Z")
William Henry Harrison did a \*really \*funny thing once. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-funniest-president/693154/12 "2014-07-16T09:08:19Z")
I agree Reagan’s wit and delivery is top notch, and the cadence to his voice made him all that much easier to listen to. Definitely the funniest. Clinton was charming but not really all that funny. Obama can deliver a joke and is funniest when he’s making fun of himself, but overall he doesn’t seem to have that sarcastic/biting wit Reagan did. George Bush Sr. wouldn’t have known funny if it sold weapons to Iran to fund Nicaraguan Contras. FDR had a very dry sense of humor, and it came in the “talking down to the republicans” sort of way. Example: [Warning about todays republicans](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUZGkNAUSvY). That bit made me laugh. And it made the audience laugh a lot too. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-funniest-president/693154/13 "2014-07-16T12:18:51Z")
In a related category, Bob Dole might have had the best sense of humor of any Presidential candidate. One zinger: “History buffs probably noted the reunion at a Washington party a few weeks ago of three ex-presidents: Carter, Ford and Nixon - See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Evil.” ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-funniest-president/693154/14 "2014-07-16T12:45:20Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > In a related category, Bob Dole might have had the best sense of humor of any Presidential candidate. One zinger: > > “History buffs probably noted the reunion at a Washington party a few weeks ago of three ex-presidents: Carter, Ford and Nixon - See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Evil.” Which is ironic, because I remember, during the 1996 election, thinking how starched and dry and bland Dole seemed, especially in contrast to the younger, “cooler” Clinton. Maybe he was just out of his comfort zone. Maybe some guys just aren’t meant to be President. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-funniest-president/693154/15 "2014-07-16T13:25:59Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > Which is ironic, because I remember, during the 1996 election, thinking how starched and dry and bland Dole seemed, especially in contrast to the younger, “cooler” Clinton. Maybe he was just out of his comfort zone. Maybe some guys just aren’t meant to be President. Some listen to their handlers too much. Bush Jr used to be a fast talking slick speaker. He was told it didn’t play well on camera. He slowed down which made him look slow and stupid. But look back at when he was working on Daddy’s campaign. Much different. IIRC Dole was told to dial back his humor because it didn’t look presidential and he tends to be sarcastic and biting. But it made him look stiff and humorless. Which killed him next to the charming Clinton I recently saw an article about Romney. Talking to him now he comes across as a warm and charming human. During the campaign he was a cardboard cutout of a candidate. Sometimes trying to look presidential hurts more helps. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-funniest-president/693154/16 "2014-07-16T13:36:27Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > Which is ironic, because I remember, during the 1996 election, thinking how starched and dry and bland Dole seemed, especially in contrast to the younger, “cooler” Clinton. Maybe he was just out of his comfort zone. Maybe some guys just aren’t meant to be President. I’m almost sure that’s deliberate. I saw Tim Pawlenty give a few speeches and speak in one or two of the Republican primary debates in '08. He was fucking awful; dry as a bone, and even when he tried to be funny he was flat as year-old soda. Then he was on Colbert a few weeks after dropping out, and he was _hilarious_. Killed it. And not because Stephen was feeding him slow pitches or anything. He was just obviously a really witty guy. I really warmed up to him after roasting him on the SDMB for weeks. I can only assume people were telling him to be boring because being funny is unpresidential or whatever. I didn’t realize it until recently, but apparently Clinton got roasted in 1992 for going on the _Arsenio Hall Show_. People thought it was inappropriate for a presidential candidate to appear on a late-night talk show. Cut to today and Bush and Obama have been on _as presidents_. Republicans being Republicans, it would not surprise me at all if many GOP voters still think presidents should be unfunny. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-funniest-president/693154/17 "2014-07-16T13:45:28Z")
I think the funniest person ever nominated to be President is John McCain. I would never vote for him, but his performance in sketches on _Saturday Night Live_ and on some other things were great. He could have made it as a comedian. ---
**Author:** ![MrKnowItAll](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrknowitall/32/87_2.png) [@MrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-funniest-president/693154/18 "2014-07-16T14:10:01Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Even though I LIKED Reagan, I never thought he was a great joke teller. That’s weird. I _loathed_ Reagan, but think he could deliver a joke pretty well. Maybe there’s a connection. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-funniest-president/693154/19 "2014-07-16T15:19:12Z")
Well, when I judge how funny a President is, I’m not thinking so much “Who can tell a funny anecdote at a press conference?” I’m thinking more, “if I were hanging out at a coffee shop or a bar with a couple of friends and ONE President, which President do I think would crack us all up?” I voted against Bill Clinton twice, but he always seemed like a guy who’d break me up if we were hanging out tiogether. Of all Presidents in my lifetime, Obama and Nixon are the two that seemed to have NO sense of humor- who recognized that they had to TRY to show some kind of funny, self-deprecating side, but who just lack the ability to laugh at themselves. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-funniest-president/693154/20 "2014-07-16T15:46:43Z")
Teddy Roosevelt? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-funniest-president/693154.md?page=2)