William Howard Taft is generally considered the heaviest U.S. president. He weighed between 280 and 325 pounds during his presidency. There are also accounts of his difficulty fitting in the White House bathtub, which led to the installation of a larger one, according to Wikipedia.

I don't think either story is true, but it is hilarious to imagine a US so corpulent as to need to be buttered to get removed from a bath tub.

but one of my history professors told us that Taft was reported to have been sitting astride a horse and the horse collapsed under Taft's weight. Poor horse, if this did indeed occur.

at church services, snoring loudly enough to be heard.

He also played poker, which is a plus in my book.

I'm pretty sure it was Taft who inadvertantly invented baseball's seventh-inning stretch. He was at a Senators' game one day, and stood up to take the huge load off his butt between the top and bottom of the seventh inning. People near him thought, "Well, the president's standing up, so we should stand up."

It became a thing.

William Howard Taft probably had a good 50lbs on Trump.

Probably on a cotton scale, but hey, that's likely a more honest reading than Lying Donold.

although I don't trust the numbers on trump.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1108096/us-presidents-weights/

I'd bet on it.

Trump has to be at least 260.

Last edited Wed Aug 13, 2025, 03:47 AM - Edit history (2)

William Howard Taft served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. Taft was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Fat, and apparently smart. Gotta check Sup Ct decisions while he served.

William Howard Taft served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. Taft was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

President Warren G. Harding appointed Taft chief justice, an office he had long sought. Chief Justice Taft was a conservative on business issues, and under him there were advances in individual rights. In poor health, he resigned in February 1930, and died the following month.

Taft clearly patronized a good haberdasher.

Trump spends quite a bit of money (more than the rest of us, anyway) on off-the-rack suits that do not fit him. He looks like he sleeps in them. A bit more money and he could have them tailored to actually fit, and he’d look 100% better.