A US president once got stuck in a bathtub. His name was William Howard Taft. He was very big. He weighed over 300 pounds. The White House bathtub was too small. Taft got inside. Then he could not get out. He called for help. Several helpers pulled him out. After that, the White House installed a new bathtub. It was very large. Four men could fit inside. Many people remember Taft for this funny story.
📖 Level 2 – Intermediate
President William Howard Taft, who served from 1909 to 1913, is often remembered for one embarrassing incident. He reportedly got stuck in the White House bathtub. Taft was the heaviest president in American history, weighing over 340 pounds. The standard bathtub of the early 1900s was not built for a man of his size. According to popular stories, Taft climbed in and found himself unable to get out. He had to call for assistance. Several staff members helped pull him free. After this event, Taft ordered a new bathtub. It was massive—four feet wide and seven feet long. It could fit four grown men. Some historians question whether the story is completely true. But Taft himself enjoyed telling the joke. He even laughed about it in speeches. Today, the giant bathtub is displayed in a museum.
📖 Level 3 – Advanced
Among the more enduring—and debated—anecdotes of American presidential lore involves William Howard Taft, the 27th president, and a bathtub. Taft, whose weight peaked at approximately 340 pounds (154 kilograms), remains the heaviest chief executive in US history. The story, widely circulated in newspapers during his administration, claims that Taft became wedged inside the standard-sized porcelain tub at the White House. Unable to extricate himself, he reportedly summoned aides, who required considerable effort to pull him free. Whether entirely factual or embellished, Taft himself leaned into the narrative. Following the alleged incident, he commissioned a custom bathtub: 7 feet long, 4 feet wide, and capable of accommodating four average-sized men. This colossal fixture was installed in the White House and later moved to a museum in New Jersey, where it remains on display. Contemporary historians note that no primary source—diary, memo, or newspaper from Taft's presidency—explicitly confirms the "stuck" event. However, the story's persistence speaks to Taft's good-natured response to public mockery. Rather than deny the rumor, he weaponized humor, cracking jokes about baths during campaign stops. In doing so, Taft transformed a potentially humiliating moment into a beloved piece of presidential mythology—proving that sometimes, the best way to escape embarrassment is to sit in it, metaphorically speaking.
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