Tucker DeSaulnierList RulesVote up the commanders in chief you think could provide the most competent and, yes, commanding leadership during a global pandemic.
The presidency involves plenty of responsibilities both practical and symbolic. That means anyone elected to this august office ends up praised for things they didn't actually do and condemned for things that aren't actually their responsibility. By all accounts, that's part of the job. Still, the sometimes-fickle, sometimes-accurate sentiments of the American public mean that popular presidents could wield Mjolnir like a superhero while unpopular presidents are subject to endless scrutiny and debate.
In the midst of a pandemic that has disrupted life around the world, it's worth asking just which former (or current) presidents the populace wishes could handle the crisis. If you could wave a magic wand, would you want someone to provide moral and spiritual comfort even if they come from a time before germ theory? Or would you hope for someone with the ability to mobilize a coherent and competent international effort in the tradition of a 20th or 21st century wartime president?
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11,2984,087Theodore Roosevelt
Dec. at 61 (1858-1919)Birthplace: New York City, Manhattan, Area code 917, Contiguous United States, New York
Presidency: 26
V.P.: Charles W. Fairbanks
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12,7614,628Abraham Lincoln
Dec. at 56 (1809-1865)Birthplace: Kentucky, Hodgenville, United States of America, United States, with Territories
Presidency: 16
V.P.: Andrew Johnson, Hannibal Hamlin
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13,3855,004John F. Kennedy
Dec. at 46 (1917-1963)Birthplace: Brookline, Massachusetts, USA
Presidency: 35
V.P.: Lyndon B. Johnson
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13,7725,152Franklin D. Roosevelt
Dec. at 63 (1882-1945)Birthplace: New York City, Hyde Park, New York, USA
Presidency: 32
V.P.: John Nance Garner, Henry A. Wallace, Harry S. Truman
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8,8244,814George Washington
Dec. at 67 (1732-1799)Birthplace: Popes Creek, Colony of Virginia, British America
Presidency: 1
V.P.: John Adams
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7,3374,340Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dec. at 79 (1890-1969)Birthplace: Denison, Texas, USA
Presidency: 34
V.P.: Richard Nixon
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19,19411,627Barack Obama
Age: 59Birthplace: Area code 808, Honolulu County, Hawaiian Islands, United States of America, United States
Presidency: 44
V.P.: Joe Biden
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10,7916,982Ronald Reagan
Dec. at 93 (1911-2004)Birthplace: Tampico, Illinois, USA
Presidency: 40
V.P.: George H. W. Bush
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5,7454,964Thomas Jefferson
Dec. at 83 (1743-1826)Birthplace: Shadwell, Colony of Virginia, British America
Presidency: 3
V.P.: Aaron Burr, George Clinton
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4,4885,808Harry Truman
Dec. at 88 (1884-1972)Birthplace: Lamar, Missouri, United States of America
Presidency: 33
V.P.: Alben W. Barkley
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5,5427,917Jimmy Carter
Age: 96Birthplace: Plains, Georgia, United States of America
Presidency: 39
V.P.: Walter Mondale
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3,9015,805Ulysses S. Grant
Dec. at 63 (1822-1885)Birthplace: Point Pleasant, Ohio, United States of America
Presidency: 18
V.P.: Schuyler Colfax, Henry Wilson
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6,1209,585Bill Clinton
Age: 74Birthplace: Hope, Arkansas, United States of America
Presidency: 42
V.P.: Al Gore
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3,1225,467John Adams
Dec. at 91 (1735-1826)Birthplace: Braintree, Massachusetts Bay, British America
Presidency: 2
V.P.: Thomas Jefferson
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4,2717,797George H. W. Bush
Age: 96Birthplace: Milton, Massachusetts, United States of America
Presidency: 41
V.P.: Dan Quayle
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4,7078,655George W. Bush
Age: 74Birthplace: New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
Presidency: 43
V.P.: Dick Cheney
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2,4405,162James Madison
Dec. at 85 (1751-1836)Birthplace: Port Conway, Colony of Virginia, British America
Presidency: 4
V.P.: Elbridge Gerry, George Clinton
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2,5686,370Andrew Jackson
Dec. at 78 (1767-1845)Birthplace: Waxhaw Settlement between North Carolina and South Carolina, British America
Presidency: 7
V.P.: Martin Van Buren, John C. Calhoun
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2,6276,578Lyndon Johnson
Dec. at 65 (1908-1973)Birthplace: Texas, Contiguous United States, Edwards Plateau, United States of America, United States
Presidency: 36
V.P.: Hubert Humphrey
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2,0115,092John Quincy Adams
Dec. at 81 (1767-1848)Birthplace: Braintree, Massachusetts Bay, British America
Presidency: 6
V.P.: John C. Calhoun
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1,8084,607James Monroe
Dec. at 73 (1758-1831)Birthplace: Monroe Hall, Virginia, British America
Presidency: 5
V.P.: Daniel D. Tompkins
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2,1785,594Woodrow Wilson
Dec. at 68 (1856-1924)Birthplace: Staunton, Virginia, United States of America
Presidency: 28
V.P.: Thomas R. Marshall
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2,1925,632Gerald Ford
Dec. at 93 (1913-2006)Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
Presidency: 38
V.P.: Nelson Rockefeller
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1,7184,732Calvin Coolidge
Dec. at 61 (1872-1933)Birthplace: Plymouth Notch, Vermont, United States of America
Presidency: 30
V.P.: Charles G. Dawes
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