POLITICS

14 Presidents Who Allegedly Cheated on The First Lady

October 9th, 2023

There have been 46 US Presidents in office, and at least 15 of them have been accused of cheating on their spouse. So, at least nearly ⅓ of the Presidents are reportedly cheaters.

Presidential scandals are not exactly a foreign concept to the White House, we’ve seen impeachments and corruption left and right since the position was created. Heck, we’ve even seen some scandals from their first ladies, ranging from rather odd business practices to alleged affairs. However, there are a lot more presidents who have had alleged Affairs over the years.

While most people know about Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, there have been alleged affairs with Franklin Delano Roosevelt and even Gerald Ford. Sometimes, their mistresses come out with tell-all books that give readers the chance to get all the juicy details first (which has happened more often than you’d think).

Some of these affairs were consensual, but an alarming amount was reportedly not consensual.

Whether it was alleged or proven, check out which US Presidents chated on their First Ladies below:

Donald Trump
Most people know about this one: DonaldTrump reportedly paid off porn star Stephanie Clifford after an alleged sexual encounter back in 2006, one year after he and Melania Trump married.

John F. Kennedy
It’s no secret that John F. Kennedy had more than one affair during his marriage to Jackie Kennedy, with the most popular being Marilyn Monroe. However, multiple women have come forward, discussing the affair they had with him.

Grover Cleveland
The 22nd and 24th US President Grover Cleveland was known for misconduct during his time in office, and per History Collection, a woman named Maria Halpin bumped into him on Dec 15th, 1873. They had been seeing each other for some time, but on that night, he reportedly raped her, and threatened her if she reported the incident.

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Franklin D. Roosevelt
Not only were there rumors swirling about Eleanor Roosevelt’s infidelity, but Franklin D. Roosevelt had numerous other lovers. It’s reported he had a long-time mistress (and possibly others) by the name of Lucy Mercer, who was Eleanor’s secretary. Eleanor confronted him about it, per Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book No Ordinary Time, and they made a deal to basically have an open marriage. He was with Mercer until his death.

Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding’s mistress Nan Britton’s tell-all book told everyone the details of their affair after he died. The book entitled The President’s Daughter detailed how they’d often have sex in one particular closet in the White House, and how she gave birth to his daughter: a girl named Elizabeth Ann.

George H. W. Bush
A bombshell expose released by the Washington Times alleged that both male and female prostitutes would come in and out of the white house, but how much George H. W. Bush even did with these people is unknown, per History Collection.

Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford allegedly had an affair with suspected German spy Ellen Rometsch, and so did JFK! Bobby Baker detailed these allegations in a previous interview with Politico, and apparently, J. Edgar Hoover found out about the affair and allegedly used it to blackmail Ford.

Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson reportedly had an affair with Alice Glass for years, even during the early years of his Presidency. And in his wife Lady Bird Johnson’s obituary, it even came out that he reportedly had an affair with a colleague named Helen Gahagan Douglas.

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Dwight Eisenhower
Dwight Eisenhower had an affair with his personal driver Kay Summersby, who later wrote a juicy tell-all about it called Past Forgetting: My Love Affair with Dwight D. Eisenhower. While there has been some questions about whether or not they had sex, many historians believe they were in love.

Ronald Reagan
Before he was President of the United States, Ronald Reagan was the President of the Screen Actor’s Guild. And in a biography from Kitty Kelley entitled, Nancy Reagan: The Unauthorized Biography, it’s alleged that Selene Walters, who claims he forced her to have sex with him when he came to her home randomly at 3 AM.

Thomas Jefferson
A lot has come out about Thomas Jefferson wasn’t a good guy, to put it delicately. Yes, he helped with the Declaration of Independence, but it’s reported that he raped a slave by the name of Sally Hemmings when she was a only 14 years old.

Thomas Jefferson
A lot has come out about Thomas Jefferson wasn’t a good guy, to put it delicately. Yes, he helped with the Declaration of Independence, but it’s reported that he raped a slave by the name of Sally Hemmings when she was a only 14 years old.

George W Bush
George W Bush allegedly raped a woman named Margie Schoedinger back in Oct 2000, per Salon.

Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton’s affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky may be the most well-known. She claims they had nine sexual encounters from 1995 to 1997. Around the same time, he was accused of sexual harassment by Paula Jones, per Time.

Curated By

Maya Gupta
Investigative Journalist | Grassroots Movement Organizer | Economy Consultant/Speaker
Maya Gupta writes from the fault lines of a world that refuses to stay quiet. Focused on the collisions between culture, power, and accountability, her work cuts past polished narratives to expose what’s really moving beneath the surface. From the rise of creator-driven influence to athlete activism and grassroots resistance, she tracks the momentum shaping a generation unwilling to wait its turn. Her reporting doesn’t cater to comfort, it confronts it, challenging institutions that lean on legacy instead of legitimacy. With a voice rooted in urgency and a lens tuned to those often ignored, Maya delivers coverage that reflects the stakes as they are, not as they’re packaged. This is journalism that doesn’t just observe change, it stands in the middle of it, documenting the push, the backlash, and the undeniable shift underway.

Suggested Reading

Past Forgetting: My Love Affair with Dwight D. Eisenhower

"Past Forgetting: My Love Affair with Dwight D. Eisenhower" is a memoir written by Kay Summersby, published in 1976. The book recounts the author's personal experiences and her close relationship with General Dwight D. Eisenhower during World War II. Kay Summersby served as Eisenhower's driver and ...

Time and Chance: Gerald Ford's Appointment With History

Gerald Ford came to the presidency at the time of one of our nation's greatest constitutional crises, the downfall of President Richard M. Nixon in the aftermath of the Watergate affair. His service as president concluded a distinguished career in the House of Representatives during which he served ...

A Secret Life: The Lies and Scandals of President Grover Cleveland

The child was born on September 14, 1874, at the only hospital in Buffalo, New York, that offered maternity services for unwed mothers. It was a boy, and though he entered the world in a state of illegitimacy, a distinguished name was given to this newborn: Oscar Folsom Cleveland. The son of the fut...

Eleanor Roosevelt: In Her Words: On Women, Politics, Leadership, and Lessons from Life

Acclaimed for her roles in politics and diplomacy, first lady Eleanor Roosevelt was also a prolific author, journalist, lecturer, broadcaster, educator, and public personality. Using excerpts from her books, columns, articles, press conferences, speeches, radio talks, and correspondence, Eleanor Ro...

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