{"id":56669,"date":"2026-05-04T17:07:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T17:07:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/56669\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T17:07:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T17:07:30","slug":"7-us-presidents-gay-or-bisexual-rumours-including-james-buchanan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/56669\/","title":{"rendered":"7 US Presidents gay or bisexual rumours including James Buchanan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has said she believes the United States may have already had a gay president.<\/p>\n

She was asked by TMZ<\/a> if she thought there would be a female or gay president first, when she said: \u201cWe don\u2019t know if we\u2019ve already had a gay president. I think there are chances that maybe we have, but I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

When pushed on the question, with the suggestion that some voters were hesitant to elect a woman, she said: \u201cI think anything can happen. I don\u2019t really buy into the scepticism. A man has lost almost every presidential election as well, so when it comes to women I think it\u2019s more about what we\u2019re actually fighting for, as opposed to the body that we\u2019re in.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I think it\u2019s about not taking big money, fixing campaign finance reform and trying to fight for people, raise wages, help people make a living. I think if we have someone who fights for the right things and speaks to the right people, then maybe we can overcome the gender gap and be able to make history.<\/p>\n

There have been 45 presidents to date over 47 presidencies \u2013 and according to official doctrine, all of them have supposedly been heterosexual. This includes Trump, who is married to his third wife Melania.<\/p>\n

But given at least 43 presidents were serving at a time when homosexuality was still oppressed, there has long been speculation of a few gay trysts flying under the radar.<\/p>\n

We count down seven other leaders who have been dogged by rumours.<\/p>\n

1. James Buchanan (in office 1857-1861)<\/p>\n

\"\"\/
Buchanan was the 15th President of the United States, serving just one term from 1857 to 1861.<\/p>\n

Considered one of the most ineffective Presidents, the lifelong bachelor has faced speculation about his sexuality.<\/p>\n

Many have raised questions about Buchanan\u2019s close and intimate relationship with future Vice President William Rufus King \u2013 having lived together for more than a decade.<\/p>\n

King described the pair\u2019s relationship as a \u201ccommunion\u201d, and they were rarely seen apart. Many commentators at the time remarked on the pair\u2019s closeness, with Andrew Jackson referring to them as \u201cMiss Nancy\u201d and \u201cAunt Fancy\u201d.<\/p>\n

2. John F Kennedy (1961-1963)<\/p>\n

\"\"\/
From the influential Catholic Kennedy family, John F Kennedy, served as the 35th President of the United States from 1961 until his assassination in November 1963.<\/p>\n

Despite his Catholic upbringing, Kennedy was inseparable from his friend Kirk LeMoyne \u2018Lem\u2019 Billings, after the pair first met in prep school.<\/p>\n

The pair were inseparable, with Mr Billings helping run Kennedy\u2019s Presidential campaign and serving as an usher at his wedding \u2013 and even getting his own bedroom in the White House.<\/p>\n

Though their relationship was considered platonic at the time, author Jerry Oppenheimer claims the pair had more than just a friendship, with \u201cJack always on the receiving end\u201d.<\/p>\n

3. Barack Obama (2009-2017)<\/p>\n

\"BarackBarack Obama (Getty)<\/p>\n

Not every rumour about a President\u2019s private life is credible.\u00a0The 44th President is a strong supporter of LGBT equality \u2013 and his emphatic support has sparked speculation among homophobes.<\/p>\n

Conspiracy theorist Wayne Marsden\u00a0claimed previously that Obama \u201cused basketball pick-up games to pick up men\u201d<\/a>, and had \u201chomosexual trysts with Representative Artur Davis, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Senate majority leader Bill Frist\u201d.<\/p>\n

The late Joan Rivers added fuel to the conspiracy theory fire<\/a>, when she joked of a gay President: \u201cWe already have it with Obama\u2026 you know Michelle is a t*****.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alex Jones of Info Wars took the joke to heart <\/a>\u2013 as did Pastor James David Manning, who prophesied that Vladimir Putin would \u2018out\u2019 Obama<\/a>.<\/p>\n

4. Lyndon B Johnson (1963-1969)<\/p>\n

\"\"\/
Lyndon B Johnson served as the 37th President from 1963 to 1969 \u2013 amid showdowns over government persecutions of gay people.<\/p>\n

However, he dodged scandals himself when\u00a0his close personal friend and de-facto Chief of Staff Walter Jenkins was outed.<\/p>\n

Ahead of the 1964 Presidential election, Jenkins was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct with another man in a public YMCA restroom in Washington DC \u2013 forcing him to resign.<\/p>\n

Johnson insisted he had no idea about Jackson\u2019s personal life, saying: \u201cI couldn\u2019t have been more shocked about Walter Jenkins if I\u2019d heard that Lady Bird had tried to kill the Pope.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, opponents made much mileage out of suggestive innuendo \u2013 with bumper stickers joking: \u201cAll the way with LBJ, but don\u2019t go near the YMCA.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. Alexander Hamilton<\/p>\n

As fans of musical Hamilton know, founding father Alexander Hamilton never got to be President<\/a> \u2013 after scandal about his tumultuous personal life.<\/p>\n

As well as his affair with a woman, doubt has\u00a0also been cast over his relationships with men.<\/p>\n

During the American Revolution, his letters to close friends John Laurens and Marquis de Lafayette grew more affectionate and flowery \u2013 while many accounts describe Hamilton as \u201cfeminine\u201d.<\/p>\n

In one letter, Hamilton described himself as a \u201cjealous lover\u201d over Laurens failing to reply, adding: \u201cLike a jealous lover, when I thought you slighted my caresses, my affection was alarmed and my vanity piqued.\u201d<\/p>\n

He wrote in another letter, after the departure of Laurens: \u201cI wish, my Dear Laurens, it might be in my power, by action rather than words to convince you that I love you. I shall only tell you that \u2019til you bade us Adieu, I hardly knew the value you had taught my heart to set upon you.<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cYou should not have taken advantage of my sensibility to steal into my affections without my consent.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, historians do not agree\u00a0as to the nature of the letters \u2013 with some insisting they are purely platonic.<\/p>\n

6. Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)<\/p>\n

\"\"\/
One of America\u2019s most iconic Presidents, Abe\u2019 also spent a large portion of his life spooning with men.<\/p>\n

In his early adulthood, the President shared a bed with Joshua Speed \u2013 who later became a Congressman. Not forgetting his roots, Lincoln several times offered Speed a government appointment \u2013 only to be rejected every time.<\/p>\n

Linclon also shared a narrow bed with companion Billy Greene in his \u201920s.<\/p>\n

Greene remarked of their cosy living situation: \u201cWhen one turned over the other had to do likewise\u2026 his thighs were as perfect as a human being could be.\u201d<\/p>\n

7. Bill (and Hillary) Clinton (1993-2001)<\/p>\n

Many rumours have been circulated, and much gossip made, of the unconventional marriage between 42nd President Bill Clinton and former First Lady Hillary Clinton.<\/p>\n

President Clinton the First famously admitted infidelity with secretary Monica Lewinsky in 1998 \u2013 but the definitive power-couple have both been the subject of rumours of dalliances with both genders.<\/p>\n

Right-wing pundit Ann Coulter famously accused Bill Clinton of being a \u201clatent homosexual\u201d, adding: \u201cI think that sort of rampant promiscuity does show some level of latent homosexuality.\u201d<\/p>\n

David Letterman joked: \u201cWhile the former President admits he once told Coulter that he\u2019s gay, it was simply a polite excuse to explain why he wasn\u2019t hitting on her bony ass.\u201d<\/p>\n

The relationship between Kevin Spacey\u2019s House of Cards character Frank Underwood and his wife has consistently been rumoured to be based on the Clintons.<\/p>\n

Share your thoughts!\u00a0Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has said she believes the United States may have already had a gay president. She…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":56670,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[8664,49,34253,12,7543,29364,25951,34254,10,349,11,34255,107],"class_list":{"0":"post-56669","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-donald-trump","8":"tag-abraham-lincoln","9":"tag-barack-obama","10":"tag-closet","11":"tag-donald-trump","12":"tag-gay","13":"tag-jfk","14":"tag-lgbt","15":"tag-listicle","16":"tag-potus","17":"tag-president","18":"tag-president-of-the-united-states","19":"tag-sexuality","20":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@people\/116517407680685309","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56669\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}