Opinion Which US president was the most badass?

[Kingz]

For shear destruction power I’m going fill in Harry Truman

pfft, Japanese can crusher.

His poor performance leading the Korean War and losing China to the commies shows he should’ve stayed in Japan where the competition is a bit easier.

 

[jk7707]

Most presidents who have served had no obligation to do so. Teddy was a complex dude, but he was also horrifying naïve about war and had the same view as most of Britain's aristocrats going into WWI that got millions massacred for stupid reasons and with stupid tactics. Teddy was simply the benefit of right time and place, he kept beating the same drumbeat going into WW1. The main reason he was spared the same public embarrassment as the British gentry was that Wilson didn't like him and also the idea of putting him in charge of the military expedition instead of Pershing was ludicrously dumb.

Again, Teddy was simply a younger Du Pont in many respects. I don't think you or I would laud Du Pont's physical prowess and badassery would we?

I appreciate you're in depth analysis, but that's another thread. I'll stand by Teddy as the most badass guy who ended up being president, both before and after.

 

[avenue94]

I appreciate you're in depth analysis, but that's another thread. I'll stand by Teddy as the most badass guy who ended up being president, both before and after.

Like I said, that's a perfectly coherent and sensible stance for a silly discussion, even if I don't agree with how you arrived at that conclusion. I'm actually curious if Teddy fired a shot during San Juan Hill, given he was on horseback for a good chunk rallying the troops. Not that it would make a difference, plenty of valuable contributions have been made in wartime without firing a shot. Jus ta funny thought experiment given his reputation.

 

[Flower2dPeople]

Teddy in any type of one-on-one conflict.

Abe is the only true contender to Teddy physically.

Taft wrestled at 225 lbs. I would add him on that list.

 

[Michaelangelo]

Prob the guy who was leading our troops on the battlefield for our independence

 

[KnightTemplar]

Washington was a BAMF, of that there is no doubt.

One of his friends was at a party, and made a bet with a group of other politicians that he could prove he was a friend of Washington's by walking up to him and starting a conversation. If he got Washington to acknowledge him, the men would pay for a fancy dinner at an exclusive restaurant. So he walked up to Washington, slapped him on the back and said, "Hullo, George!"

Washington turned around and,

"The look he gave me was not worth a thousand free meals!"

 

[HOLA]

Roosevelt effectively saw one day of combat, as opposed to other presidents who were actually soldiers. As I mentioned earlier, much of Roosevelt's military and sporting reputation was political branding. Tough dude no doubt, and a discussion of who is more badass is pretty silly, but Roosevelt was not really a soldier.

He served in the New York National Guard for years, was Assistant Secretary of the Navy for a year(where he was really the one running things), then led a cavalry regiment for the U.S. Army for months, as Lieutenant Colonel, being promoted to a Colonel after the battle. How was he not really a soldier??

It'd be like if Elon Musk decided tomorrow that he was going to lead a company of mercenaries and tacticool dudes funded by Silicon Valley bros into combat in Ukraine.

If Elon led a successful charge up a hill against enemy fire, where 100+ people were killed and 1000+ injured, killing an enemy combatant with his pistol en route, that would definitely be pretty badass, no?

Just because the guy didn't have the body count of Arnold in Commando doesn't mean what he did wasn't very impressive.

 

[HOLA]

Like I said, that's a perfectly coherent and sensible stance for a silly discussion, even if I don't agree with how you arrived at that conclusion. I'm actually curious if Teddy fired a shot during San Juan Hill, given he was on horseback for a good chunk rallying the troops. Not that it would make a difference, plenty of valuable contributions have been made in wartime without firing a shot. Jus ta funny thought experiment given his reputation.

Yes, he killed a Spanish soldier with a pistol during the battle when he reached the enemy position.

 

[HOLA]

But he did serve in combat and posthumously received a Medal Of Honor for his actions. AND that's literally only 1 of dozens of badass stories about the dude. To put it in MMA terms, he may not be the GOAT, but he's got the BMF title on lock.

One of my favorite Roosevelt stories is when he went to the Badlands in the 1880's and some bandits stole some shit from him. He chased them into the middle of nowhere, captured them and took them prisoner. The river was frozen, so they had a hard time making their way back, and they had very little food.

On the way back to turning them in, he read Anna Karenina - a ~900 page book - and wrote a book review for his sister. Guy was a master at multitasking haha.

He also brought along a camera to document his journey.

"I kept guard over the three prisoners, who were huddled into a sullen group some twenty yards off, just the right distance for the buckshot in the double-barrel.”

The prisoners eventually took a liking to him, and were very grateful he didn't just hang them when he captured them, like many people did back then in that place. They even wrote to him from prison, asking him to visit if he was ever near where they were incarcerated.

 

[KnightTemplar]

At least in terms of athletic ability, Ford was up there. Was supposed to be a beast in college Football, and received offers to play in the NFL, but turned it down for law school.

He looks like a young Dolph Lundgren.

 

[evansusmc2]

How the F could anyone vote anyone but Teddy roosevalt

Isn't that the president that got shot in the torso and still stuck around to finish his speech?

 

[cincymma79]

Andrew Jackson gave someone the first shot in a duel

 

[chimpoehurricane]

Let’s keep soft fairy shit like this out of what will be the both the most contentious and simultaneously the most light hearted war room thread of the year. This is a thread about badasses. About men! Neither trump nor Biden are welcome here

Well, ww3 is pretty bad ass. The draft is a fitting consequences for morons voting in ass hat.

 

[MLarson]

Donald Trump obviously

 

[TheGreatA]

Most of the old school American presidents were tough as nails. They were men who had usually built a reputation beyond just the realm of politics. War heroes, athletes, intellectuals, pioneers, very indicative of where America was at that point in time, a country on its rise to becoming a superpower, rather than a corrupt state trying to hold on to its position, ran by elderly, withering career politicians.

I'd rate Roosevelt at the top because there are zero doubts about his personal courage and moral character. He proved it time and time again. In fact, the whole family seemed to produce nothing but the most courageous and death-defying folk.

 

[SakurabasEar]

Most of the old school American presidents were tough as nails. They were men who had usually built a reputation beyond just the realm of politics. War heroes, athletes, intellectuals, pioneers, very indicative of where America was at that point in time, a country on its rise to becoming a superpower.

I'd rate Roosevelt at the top because there are zero doubts about his personal courage and moral character. He proved it time and time again. In fact, the whole family seemed to produce nothing but the most courageous and death defying folk.

Well stated

 

[panamaican]

Sure, Washington was a noble. But he did what he did out of necessity. He didn't go out and play cowboys and indians because it sounded fun to him and would show what a man he is. He led and won a guerilla war from the field, out of necessity

You've got Teddy all wrong. Teddy was a sickly kid. His dad encouraged him to push him physically to deal with his weakness. He wasn't chasing notoriety. He lived that shit because that's who he was as a person. The dude was doing wild shit from the time he was kid, not just after he came on the political scene.

 

[panamaican]

Ya, but he let himself get shot. He should have dodged.

I like Presidents who don't get assassinated, lol.