Chapter Twenty-Eight - The Vibe President with a Scandal Problem

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

The Vibe President with a Scandal Problem

ALRIGHT.
WARREN GAMALIEL Harding.
Born in 1865 in Ohio (yes, again—Ohio stays running the table).
Newspaper publisher.
Chill guy.
Great hair.
Even better voice.

He looked and sounded like a president—
so when America was reeling from World War I and Wilson’s intensity,
Harding came in with this golden promise:

“Return to normalcy.”

People ate it up.

In 1920, he won in a landslide.
Over 60% of the vote.

He didn’t campaign hard.
He just gave speeches from his porch.
People came to him.

Laid back. Handsome. Chill.
It worked.

As president?

He meant well.
He pushed for:

• Lower taxes
• Pro-business policies
• Budget reform
• World peace through disarmament talks
• Civil rights (he gave speeches on it—rare at the time)

But…

his administration?

A whole mess.

Harding was too trusting.
He filled his cabinet with cronies—buddies from Ohio who looked out for themselves more than the country.

And behind the scenes?

• The Teapot Dome Scandal (secret oil deals + bribery)
• Veterans Bureau corruption (millions embezzled)
• Straight-up embezzlement and fraud in multiple departments

Harding wasn’t part of the schemes—but he let the foxes run the henhouse.
And when he found out?

He was shocked. Heartbroken. Sick.
Literally.

In 1923, during a presidential tour of the West Coast and Alaska—
Harding fell ill.
He died suddenly in San Francisco.

Official cause? Heart attack or stroke.
No autopsy.
(Conspiracy theories followed, of course.)

After his death, the scandals exploded.
His presidency became a punchline for decades.

But here’s the twist:

He wasn’t evil.
Just… in over his head.
Too friendly. Too trusting.
Not enough control.

So here’s to Warren G. Harding.
The vibe guy.
The wrong man at the wrong time, with the right haircut.

Rest in calm, Warren.
You wanted peace—
you got headlines.