Something we have discussed extensively on this site is the fact that politicians are celebrities in their own right. Like celebs, presidents are often bogged down by sex scandals that threaten to define their entire careers. The reason for this is simple: presidents sell themselves to the American people as good, loving husbands, ones who would never, ever cheat on their wives.
In reality, presidential history is filled with affairs (both confirmed and alleged) that rocked the country. Some were downright nasty, leaving stains on our national history that will never come out (no matter how much we scrub). Wondering which scandals were the worst? Keep reading to discover the naughtiest presidential affair rumors in American history!
John F. Kennedy: the king of presidential affair rumors
There’s a fair argument to be made that John F. Kennedy is one of the greatest presidents in America’s long history. Of course, he was also a famous player, one who was romantically linked to a number of women besides his gorgeous wife. The list of women he allegedly had affairs with includes names like Judith Campbell Exner, Mary Pinchot Meyer, and Priscilla Wear. But the most famous woman that JFK allegedly had an affair with was, of course, American icon Marilyn Monroe.
It was never confirmed that the two had an affair, but this was the general assumption for many Americans back when they were alive. Speculation about their affair kicked into overdrive after she sang “Happy Birthday” to the president at a 1962 fundraiser at Madison Square Garden…just listen to her breathy line delivery of “Mr. President” and it’s hard to believe these two weren’t secretly an item! Interestingly, while his wife Jackie Kennedy didn’t comment on the affair with Monroe, she basically confirmed the affair with Priscilla Wear, saying (as quoted by People), “This is the girl who is supposedly sleeping with my husband.”
RELATED: Where the Kennedy Grandchildren Are Now
George H.W. Bush’s bombshell affair rumor
If we’re being honest, George H.W. Bush is probably the last president that you’d expect to have an affair. He was never a ladies’ man like Donald Trump or attached to any major sex scandals like Bill Clinton. As it turns out, though, Bush wasn’t necessarily great at avoiding affairs…he was just great at keeping them under the radar!
Allegedly, Bush had an affair with a secretary named Jennifer Fitzgerald. While some reporters tried to inquire about the affair over the years, Bush never confirmed it, and he got downright angry when people brought it up. However, as reported by Business Insider, Susan Page (author of The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty) claimed that not only was First Lady Barbara Bush aware of the affair, but that knowledge of it nearly drove the older woman to suicide. “She would pull over to the side of the road until the impulse to plow into a tree or drive into the path of an oncoming car had passed,” Page wrote.
The Bill Clinton affair drama that dominated the 90s
Of course, one of the reasons that nobody these days remembers George H.W. Bush’s affair is that it was completely overshadowed by his successor’s insane sex scandal. As everyone knows, Bill Clinton’s otherwise successful presidency was plagued by rumors that he had an affair with a White House intern named Monica Lewinsky. When Clinton tried to deny the rumors, it resulted in (as reported by the Associated Press) one of the most memorable lines of the ‘90s: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.”
Unfortunately, the truth came out seven months later, when Bill Clinton revealed details about his affair with Monica Lewinsky to a grand jury. Once the news came out, it forever tarnished the image of Clinton as a respectable national leader. Incredibly, though, this news didn’t destroy his marriage, and he and Hillary Clinton recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary!
RELATED: 6 Biggest Scandals Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton Want to Keep Hidden
Donald Trump’s “Stormy” affair scandal
Sadly, rumors of presidential affairs didn’t die out with the last millennium. President Donald Trump’s first administration was rocked by rumors that he had an affair with a porn star named Stormy Daniels. The rumors might have died down on their own, but Daniels actually filed a lawsuit against the president back in 2018, making this scandalous claim front-page news yet again.
Even though Trump continues to deny this affair, he was found guilty in 2024 of paying the porn star hush money to stay quiet while he pursued his political ambitions. This naturally made many people skeptical…like, why are you paying money to hush someone if what they are saying isn’t true? Nonetheless, Trump maintains his innocence, and considering he is now serving in his second term, it’s clear that Daniels breaking her silence ultimately did nothing to slow down Trump’s meteoric political career.