Abraham Lincoln: This one stinks
Abraham Lincoln has the honor of being named the funniest president that the U.S. had, by Senator Bob Dole in his Great Presidential Wit (…I Wish I Was In The Book). And one of his funniest lines ever has to be, “What kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself.”
Ulysses S. Grant: A dry sense of humor
Grant, the 18th American president, once said, “I only know two tunes, one of them is ‘Yankee Doodle’ the other isn’t.” Grant, who served as general and commander of the Union armies during the American Civil War, may have been referred to the fact that his life was devoted primarily to our nation.
18 thoughts on “The Funniest Jokes Told by 20 U.S. Presidents”
I love Thedore Rosevellts. It’s still true
Teddy Roosevelt once said “God Bless America, death to her enemies”.
I have always loved Harry Truman’s joke “If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog”. I can’t help but feel that there’s some truth in that.
Best joke ever told was during the Reagan-Mondale debate. “I will not make an issue, for political purposes, my opponents youth and inexperience “
My favorite is this:
In the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates, when Douglas accused Lincoln of being two-faced, Lincoln replied, referencing his homeliness, “Honestly, if I were two-faced, would I be showing you this one?”
LBJ was one of the most down to earth president with a dry wit that could say things that were downright crass in a smoke-filled room of diplomacy.
I like Truman’s “If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.”
Van Buran
Don’t know if this is exactly considered a joke but certainly a truism. Warren Harding said “It’s not my enemies who keep me up at night; I know who my enemies are, but it is my friends.”
Truman had the funniest joke.
Theodore Roosevelt boxed each morning before he went to work. He was very energetic and he took steps 2 at a time.. Citizens would wait for him to run up the steps.. he once said “God Bless America, death to her enemies.”
James Madison. “I always talk better lying down.”
I questioned the P.S. about Martin Van Buren being the first American born president…..so I checked it out and ALL the presidents before him were born in America. I went back and re-read it to see how I’d gotten it confused. I hadn’t….it clearly says that Van Buren was the first American born president. What gives??
The previous presidents were born while the country was still part of Great Britain, making Van Buren the first president to be born after we became a nation
You’re thinking America as in North America. I believe they’re stating he was the first born in the United States of America, which was not yet a country when the first presidents were born.
My favorite joke and President in this group is Ronald Reagan
You’re thinking America as in North America. I believe they’re stating he was the first born in the United States of America, which was not yet a country when the first presidents were born.
President Truman said “If you become WEALTHY while holding elective office, you are a CROOK”!