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1 / 14 photos Awkward Presidential Moments
TOASTING AND COASTING: Before making a toast during a state banquet at London's Buckingham Palace in May 2011, President Barack Obama hesitated briefly, mistakenly cueing the orchestra to began playing, "My Country, 'Tis of Thee," also the melody to "To her majesty the Queen." The president finished his speech while the music played, finishing before the music ended and raising his glass in a gesture to attendees, who, confused, waited to sip until the song ended. (Lewis Whyld/AFP/Getty Images.)
Barack Obama
Queen Elizabeth II
DAYDREAM BELIEVER: President Bill Clinton appeared to be sleeping in a photo taken at the dedication ceremony for his childhood home, in Hope, Arkansas on March 12, 1999. (Photo By Cynthia Johnson/Getty Images.) Nearly a decade later, in 2008, Clinton was caught on video sleeping at a service from Dr Martin Luther King Jr., held at the Convent Ave Baptist Church in Harlem, New York.
Bill Clinton
SLURRING UP TROUBLE: President Jimmy Carter came under sharp criticism after stating in 1976 that there was "nothing wrong with ethnic purity" being maintained in urban neighborhoods. Above: In a prepared speech read by Atlanta businessman Jesse Hill, left, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Sr., center, said of President Carter (right), "I love and believe in him," during a campaign rally where King declared, in Atlanta, Georgia, in April 1976—just days after the president's "ethnic purity" remark. (Photo by Anonymous/AP1976.)
Jimmy Carter
GASH FLASH: While participating in a news conference at the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Washington, in October 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson suddenly lifted up his shirt to reveal a stomach scar from a recent gall bladder surgery and kidney stone removal. The unprecedented and now-infamous move by the 36th U.S. president spurred several newspaper articles and cartoons. (AP Photo/Charles Tasnadi.)
Lyndon B. Johnson
PITCH FIT: President George Bush reacts to his less-than-perfect pitch to open the 1992 baseball season at the Baltimore Orioles-Cleveland Indians gane in April 6, 1992, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. (Photo credit should read Robert Giroux/AFP/Getty Images.)
George H.W. Bush
BLUES TRAVELER: Just after the results of the 1932 election were announced, a defeated Herbert Hoover shared an awkward car ride with his opponent, the newly elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt, to Washington, D.C. (Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images.)
Herbert Hoover
Franklin D. Roosevelt
HOT MIC: On August 11, 1984, at the height of the Cold War, President Ronald Reagan stood up to the microphone in preparation for a television broadcast, and not realizing it was on, jokingly said, "My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever. The bombing begins in five minutes." Above: Reagan speaks during a press conference at the White House, on May 13, 1982. (Photo by Gene Forte.)
Ronald Reagan
IMPROMPTU ROMP: President George W. Bush danced for the cameras while waiting for Republican presidential candidate John McCain and his wife, Cindy McCain, to arrive for lunch at the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 5, 2008. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images.)
George W. Bush
MAIL FAIL: On October 24, 1918, with victory on the horizon, President Woodrow Wilson issued an open letter to citizens, urging Democrats to retain their majorities in the House and Senate, and suggesting that a Republican victory would somehow provide aid to German leader Kaiser William II. The remark outraged both Democrats and Republicans, and severely hurt public support for both Wilson and the war effort. Above: President Wilson writes as his secretary, "Joo" Tumulty, looks on, circa 1919. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images.)
Woodrow Wilson
TAKING FLIGHT: President Gerald Ford was known for being somewhat clumsy during his presidency, as several of his trips and stumbles were caught of camera. Above: President Ford lands on his hands after slipping and falling on a wet ramp at Air Force One in Salzburg, Austria, in June 1975. (Photo by Anonymous/2006 AP.)
Gerald Ford
HIGH-FIVE, LOW-FIVE: President Ford slips on the wet sidewalk as he tries to reach up to shake hands with youngsters atop a wall, in Portland, Maine, on August 30, 1975. The president recovered and went on with his program for the day. (AP Photo.)
Gerald Ford
ROYAL BLUNDER: During a visit to the United States in May 1991, Queen Elizabeth II joined President George H.W. Bush at the White House, where she delivered a speech on the lawn. Throughout her speech, however, the queen's face was hidden—White House staff members had forgotten to lower her mircrophone. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/FilmMagic.)
George H.W. Bush
Queen Elizabeth II
BY HOOK OR BY CROOK: In 1973, President Richard Nixon was caught planning a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters (the Watergate office) in Washington, D.C. The infamous scandal, simply dubbed "Watergate," spurred outrage throughout the nation and, subsequently, countless media reports criticizing the president's actions. The president later lied about the attempted break-in on national television, denying having any knowledge of the plan. During his speech, he stated, "I am not a crook"—possibly his most famous line to date. Above: President Nixon answers questions about the Watergate scandal in the East Room of the White House on October 1, 1973, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images.)
Richard Nixon
NOTHING WRONG WITH A LITTLE BUMP 'N' SHAKE: If you had offered up as many fist bumps as President Barack Obama, you'd understand how greeting gestures can get a little hazy. When Obama made an early appearance at the Universit of North Carolina Tar Heels-Michigan State Spartans basketball game in 2011, he received an endearing greeting from fans. Things turned slightly awkward, however, when a veteran extended his arm for a handshake, and instead received an overzealous "bump" from the president. (Photo by Pete Souza/Official White House Photo.)
Barack Obama
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