National Presidential Joke Day: Funniest Jokes That US Presidents Have Ever Told In Office

Presidents of countries, just like the common man, have a sense of humor too. And in order to recognize this, National Presidential Joke Day is celebrated every year in the United States on August 11.

The day was first celebrated in 1984 when President Ronald Reagan, during a soundcheck for his radio broadcast, joked, "My fellow Americans, I’m pleased to tell you today that I’ve signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes." The recording was leaked to the general public and critics blasted Reagan as being unpresidential.

The best way to celebrate the day is by sharing presidential missteps and jokes. The following are some of them, courtesy HEC Media -

• "We’re studying safe levels for arsenic in drinking water. To base our decision on sound science, the scientists told us we needed to test the water glasses of about 3,000 people. Thank you for participating." — George Bush at the 2001 Radio-Television Correspondents’ Association dinner
• "Many of you know that I got my name, Barack, from my father. What you may not know is Barack is actually Swahili for ‘That One.’ And I got my middle name from somebody who obviously didn’t think I’d ever run for president." – Barack Obama
• "I just received the following wire from my generous Daddy: Dear Jack, Don’t buy a single vote more than is necessary. I’ll be damned if I’m going to pay for a landslide." — John F. Kennedy while talking about reports that his father’s money was buying the primary for him.
• "My esteem in this country has gone up substantially. It is very nice now when people wave at me, they use all their fingers." —Jimmy Carter
• "Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first." – Ronald Reagan
• "The candidates are an interesting group, with diverse opinions — for tax cuts and against them, for NAFTA and against NAFTA, for the Patriot Act and against the Patriot Act, in favor of liberating Iraq and opposed to it. And that’s just one senator from Massachusetts." — George Bush during the 2004 campaign against John Kerry
• "Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his." – Ronald Reagan