Nicknames for American presidents are something about which I have been wondering lately. I remember “Tricky Dick” (Nixon) and the “Klutz in Chief” (Ford). A little later there was Bill Clinton who was known as either the Comeback Kid or Slick Willie. Each was a form of popular shorthand, whether to create a sense of familiarity, a sense of antagonism or simply an attempt at commentary. There were many others through history. Some of them were simply cruel. Many were colourful.
There were personal attacks, like John Adams. The second president was known as “His Rotundity” owing to his girth. Looking at a different dimension, James Madison was “Little Jemmy” owing to his height. Or lack thereof. At five feet four inches, he was the shortest president. Thomas Jefferson’s interest in alcohol led to him gaining the title “Moonshine Philosopher”. This was in spite of his achievements drafting the U.S. Constitution. Innuendo was the order of the day for James Buchanan who suffered the name “Miss Nancy” while Andrew Jackson was simply “Jackass”.
Elections gave rise to other terms of endearment. For example, Rutherford Hayes was given a nickname which should echo into more recent times. Not considered a legitimate president after the election results of 1876 were disputed, some called him “Rutherfraud”. “His Accidency” was the less-than-one-term president, John Tyler, who never won an election but became President after William Henry Harrison died one month into his term of office.
Some names were tied to political image, fortune or commentary. First and foremost would be Lincoln, or “Honest Abe”. Conversely, Martin Van Buren was less than flatteringly called “Martin Van Ruin”. By contrast William McKinlay, who had a reputation for regularly changing his mind on issues, was given the nickname of “Wobbly Willie”. As Andrew Johnson shot down prospective legislation so much, he was dubbed “Sir Veto”.
There are many others through the years, like Ike. Presidential nicknames are a tradition in American politics. But where does it lead us to today? During his first term as president, Donald Trump’s hostile reactions to criticism resulted in some calling him “President Snowflake”. It’s a good starting point since during his current term more often than not his image is one of rage, anger or just hostility. Perhaps it can be summed up in a one-word nickname: “Scowlface”.
Of course, any inference to Al Capone, gangsterism or criminality is completely unintentional.