--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The presidency is, in many ways…" description: "\"The presidency is, in many ways, America's comment on itself; our collective national costume. In the occupant of our sole nationwide elected office, w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/881/joy-reid-6005_america_the-presidency-is-in-many-ways-america-s_2927472.jpg" --- # The presidency is, in many ways, America's comment on… ![“The presidency is, in many ways, America's comment on itself; our collective national costume. In the occupant of our sole nationwide elected office, we see who we think we are, or who we want to be.” quote by Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/881/joy-reid-6005_america_the-presidency-is-in-many-ways-america-s_2927472.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/881/joy-reid-6005_america_the-presidency-is-in-many-ways-america-s_2927472.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/881/joy-reid-6005_america_the-presidency-is-in-many-ways-america-s_2927472.jpg) > “The presidency is, in many ways, America's comment on itself; our collective national costume. In the occupant of our sole nationwide elected office, we see who we think we are, or who we want to be.” [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The presidency reflects America’s self‑image, showing who the nation believes it is or aspires to become. **In simple terms:** The president mirrors national identity. Key Takeaway Reflect on the values you want represented. Themes politics identity reflection nationhood Mood analytical thoughtful Type political philosophical When to use this quote - election cycles - civic education - media analysis Key Concepts symbolism collective self‑image leadership Questions to Reflect On - What does the current leader say about our values? - How can citizens shape national identity? A Different Perspective Public perception can distort reality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Presidency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presidency/) ## Related quotes > [Presidents are always also storytellers, purveyors of useful national mythologies. And surprisingly enough, Richard Nixon, this awkward man who didn't even really like people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/presidents-are-always-also-storytellers-purveyors-of-useful-national/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [I've written before that the president is our national avatar - a stand-in for what we believe we are, or want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/i-ve-written-before-that-the-president-is-our-national-avatar-a-stand/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [If Obama was fundamentally different from prior presidents, Trump seems to violate every tenet of what Americans have long sought as our national image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/if-obama-was-fundamentally-different-from-prior-presidents-trump/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [People should make distinctions between the office of the presidency and the person who occupies it. You can respect the office even as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-greenberg/people-should-make-distinctions-between-the-office-of-the-presidency/) [David Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-greenberg/) > [There's a whole generation coming up behind us that was engaged, inspired, worked for change during the course of my presidency, saw what was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/there-s-a-whole-generation-coming-up-behind-us-that-was-engaged/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The presidency is a huge echo chamber magnifying every little thing he does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hess/the-presidency-is-a-huge-echo-chamber-magnifying-every-little-thing/) Stephen Hess > [We spend less time with each other now than we did during the presidency. When you're president, you're usually out and back in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/we-spend-less-time-with-each-other-now-than-we-did-during-the/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [It has been my honor to support and work with President Barack Obama, a man who has brought courage and character to the presidency.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-reid/it-has-been-my-honor-to-support-and-work-with-president-barack-obama/) [Harry Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-reid/) > [Our enemies are innovative and resourceful...They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush-2/our-enemies-are-innovative-and-resourceful-they-never-stop-thinking/) [George W Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush-2/) > [By disgracing and degrading the presidency of the United States, by fleeing the White House like a diseased cur, Richard Nixon broke the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/by-disgracing-and-degrading-the-presidency-of-the-united-states-by/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [Donald Trump said he will not decide about a possible run for the presidency until after the current season of Celebrity Apprentice wraps up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/donald-trump-said-he-will-not-decide-about-a-possible-run-for-the/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [It's an appeal as old as America and its presidency: This is an extraordinary country populated by hard-working, big-dreaming, freedom-loving people graced by God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-fournier/it-s-an-appeal-as-old-as-america-and-its-presidency-this-is-an/) [Ron Fournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-fournier/) > [Let's be honest, if the Democrats didn't support ignoring our nation's immigration laws, there is no way they could win the presidency or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/let-s-be-honest-if-the-democrats-didn-t-support-ignoring-our-nation-s/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is opposed to every instinct in my body. But as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/i-have-never-been-a-quitter-to-leave-office-before-my-term-is/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) ## More by Joy Reid > [Trump is reviled around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/trump-is-reviled-around-the-world/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [What White America and Black America wanted and expected from Obama were fundamentally different and opposite things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/what-white-america-and-black-america-wanted-and-expected-from-obama/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [If Obama was fundamentally different from prior presidents, Trump seems to violate every tenet of what Americans have long sought as our national image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/if-obama-was-fundamentally-different-from-prior-presidents-trump/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [In many ways, Trump is both a boon and a bane to Republicans. His insanity and moral decrepitude keep the country focused on things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/in-many-ways-trump-is-both-a-boon-and-a-bane-to-republicans-his/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [To be white in America is to assume, with total self-confidence and little afterthought, the personal ownership of public spaces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/to-be-white-in-america-is-to-assume-with-total-self-confidence-and/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Dwight Eisenhower presented a face of America that was heroic and resolute; Ronald Reagan represented a return to confidence and glamour after the weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/dwight-eisenhower-presented-a-face-of-america-that-was-heroic-and/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Trump's affinity for Russia dates back at least to the late 1980s, during the time of the Soviet Union, and it intensified after his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/trump-s-affinity-for-russia-dates-back-at-least-to-the-late-1980s/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Trump's more outre economic ideas, like repealing trade bills and implementing a massive surcharge on imports, would seem like non-starters in a Republican-led House…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/trump-s-more-outre-economic-ideas-like-repealing-trade-bills-and/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Too great a love for the presidency has caused Democrats to neglect state and local politics and to overly prize compromise and a futile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/too-great-a-love-for-the-presidency-has-caused-democrats-to-neglect/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Bill Clinton had a hell of a first 24 months, even though he, like Trump, enjoyed a congressional majority. Scandal after scandal befell the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/bill-clinton-had-a-hell-of-a-first-24-months-even-though-he-like/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Whether on guns, race, culture or feminism, there really are two Americas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/whether-on-guns-race-culture-or-feminism-there-really-are-two-americas/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [The sharp differences between the way city dwellers and rural, suburban and exurban residents vote, think and live cannot be papered over by federal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/the-sharp-differences-between-the-way-city-dwellers-and-rural/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Even without the euphoria of 'yes we can,' Hillary Clinton is to white women what Barack Obama was to African-Americans. She represents the opportunity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/even-without-the-euphoria-of-yes-we-can-hillary-clinton-is-to-white/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [If you've never feared the police - if you don't get a dull ache in the pit of your stomach when you see red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/if-you-ve-never-feared-the-police-if-you-don-t-get-a-dull-ache-in-the/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Republicans don't vote Republican because of Nancy Pelosi. They vote Republican because they are Republicans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/republicans-don-t-vote-republican-because-of-nancy-pelosi-they-vote/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) [Explore all 100 Joy Reid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The presidency is, in many ways, America's comment on itself; our collective national costume. 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