--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Well, it is alarming to have a president…" description: "\"Well, it is alarming to have a president [Reagan] who doesn't know what he is doing.\" — McGeorge Bundy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/502/mcgeorge-bundy-50610_american-politics_well-it-is-alarming-to-have-a-president_1111683.jpg" --- # Well, it is alarming to have a president \[Reagan\] who… ![“Well, it is alarming to have a president [Reagan] who doesn't know what he is doing.” quote by McGeorge Bundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/502/mcgeorge-bundy-50610_american-politics_well-it-is-alarming-to-have-a-president_1111683.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/502/mcgeorge-bundy-50610_american-politics_well-it-is-alarming-to-have-a-president_1111683.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/502/mcgeorge-bundy-50610_american-politics_well-it-is-alarming-to-have-a-president_1111683.jpg) > “Well, it is alarming to have a president \[Reagan\] who doesn't know what he is doing.” [McGeorge Bundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mcgeorge-bundy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Criticizes a president's lack of competence, implying danger for governance. **In simple terms:** President lacks competence, causing alarm. Key Takeaway Demand accountability from leaders. Themes leadership competence political risk Mood concerned critical Type political analytical When to use this quote - election analysis - policy making - media commentary Key Concepts governance expertise public trust Questions to Reflect On - How does leadership competence affect national stability? - What mechanisms ensure competent governance? A Different Perspective Presidential competence also depends on advisors and institutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-politics/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) ## Related quotes > [I'd be surprised if Ronald Reagan doesn't run again. To us it's a second term. To him it's a double feature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/i-d-be-surprised-if-ronald-reagan-doesn-t-run-again-to-us-it-s-a/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [If I could go, I would tell the truth to the North American people. President Reagan personally ordered my visa to be denied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomas-borge/if-i-could-go-i-would-tell-the-truth-to-the-north-american-people/) [Tomas Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomas-borge/) > [President Reagan always gave the credit to the American people and American ideals. He treated his job as a valuable temporary loan from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/president-reagan-always-gave-the-credit-to-the-american-people-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If President Reagan could be an actor and become president, maybe I could become an actor. I've got a good pension. I can work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/if-president-reagan-could-be-an-actor-and-become-president-maybe-i/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Before consulting the hotheads who present various military options such as a military invasion: remember, President Reagan, Rambo only exists in the movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ortega/before-consulting-the-hotheads-who-present-various-military-options/) [Daniel Ortega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ortega/) > [President Reagan is now at rest. We mourn his passing, but we are grateful for the gifts he gave us: a safer world, strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-gallegly/president-reagan-is-now-at-rest-we-mourn-his-passing-but-we-are/) [Elton Gallegly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-gallegly/) > [“For seven of the eight years he was president, Reagan would not say the AIDS word.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/for-seven-of-the-eight-years-he-was-president-reagan-would-not-say/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Often dismissed or underestimated by political opponents, President Reagan had the most valuable weapon in the political arsenal: a bond with the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/often-dismissed-or-underestimated-by-political-opponents-president/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Well, my favorite memory of a president was in 1984. I was in the grandstands at Daytona, and maybe I was 20 years old.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltrip/well-my-favorite-memory-of-a-president-was-in-1984-i-was-in-the/) [Michael Waltrip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltrip/) > [One of President Reagan's first and wisest initiatives was to effectively shutdown the anti-trust division of the Justice Department.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/one-of-president-reagan-s-first-and-wisest-initiatives-was-to/) [Stephen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/) > [“Of course you would, Mitt," Reagan said. "Well, I’m glad we understand each other, and I think your father would be proud of you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barnes/of-course-you-would-mitt-reagan-said-well-i-m-glad-we-understand-each/) [John Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barnes/) > [President Reagan, of course, did more than any other person to entrench the Republican reputation for toughness on national security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-power/president-reagan-of-course-did-more-than-any-other-person-to-entrench/) [Samantha Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-power/) > [President Reagan is a lot like E.T. He's cute, he's lovable, and he knows nothing about how Americans live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elayne-boosler/president-reagan-is-a-lot-like-e-t-he-s-cute-he-s-lovable-and-he/) [Elayne Boosler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elayne-boosler/) > [President Reagan has no enemies in the Phillipines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferdinand-marcos/president-reagan-has-no-enemies-in-the-phillipines/) [Ferdinand Marcos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferdinand-marcos/) > [People in my hometown voted for President Reagan - for many, like my grandpa, he was their first Republican - because he promised that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/people-in-my-hometown-voted-for-president-reagan-for-many-like-my/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) ## More by McGeorge Bundy > [It was obvious uh, that uh, the situation in Vietnam was far from stable in 1964 and that there, if in fact the United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mcgeorge-bundy/it-was-obvious-uh-that-uh-the-situation-in-vietnam-was-far-from/) [McGeorge Bundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mcgeorge-bundy/) > [Although war is evil, it is occasionally the lesser of two evils.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mcgeorge-bundy/although-war-is-evil-it-is-occasionally-the-lesser-of-two-evils/) [McGeorge Bundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mcgeorge-bundy/) > [Vietnam, really more accurately, Laos, was almost after Berlin the top problem at the beginning of the Kennedy Administration in '61, foreign problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mcgeorge-bundy/vietnam-really-more-accurately-laos-was-almost-after-berlin-the-top/) [McGeorge Bundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mcgeorge-bundy/) > [Presidents and Lyndon Johnson was really no exception, very rapidly learned the difference between a contingency plan and an authorized act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mcgeorge-bundy/presidents-and-lyndon-johnson-was-really-no-exception-very-rapidly/) [McGeorge Bundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mcgeorge-bundy/) > [There is nearly always uh, a process of wanting contingency plans made in the military.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mcgeorge-bundy/there-is-nearly-always-uh-a-process-of-wanting-contingency-plans-made/) [McGeorge Bundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mcgeorge-bundy/) > [The most persistent of all attractive illusions in our country may be that racism can be ended by one single blow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mcgeorge-bundy/the-most-persistent-of-all-attractive-illusions-in-our-country-may-be/) [McGeorge Bundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mcgeorge-bundy/) [Explore all 7 McGeorge Bundy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mcgeorge-bundy/) ## More Alarming quotes > [I've had an alarming amount of concussions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-reynolds/i-ve-had-an-alarming-amount-of-concussions/) [Ryan Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-reynolds/) > [There's a diversion between economic reality - integration, global village, everybody depending on everybody else - and cultural reality, which is people feeling invaded,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-green/there-s-a-diversion-between-economic-reality-integration-global/) [Duncan Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-green/) > [It would have been very alarming - morally, and in other ways too - if an attack of that nature, the 11 September attacks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-would-have-been-very-alarming-morally-and-in-other-ways-too-if-an/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [We are being wiped off the face of this earth At an extremely alarming rate And even more alarming is the fact That we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/we-are-being-wiped-off-the-face-of-this-earth-at-an-extremely/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [In all the new states of the Union, land monopolization has gone on at an alarming rate, but in none of them so fast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-george/in-all-the-new-states-of-the-union-land-monopolization-has-gone-on-at/) [Henry George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-george/) > [In terms of security for wildlife and our society, it's an incredibly alarming situation, and we need to address that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronika-varekova/in-terms-of-security-for-wildlife-and-our-society-it-s-an-incredibly/) [Veronika Varekova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronika-varekova/) > [The committee's finding that China stole sensitive technology from U.S. weapons research labs is alarming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bass/the-committee-s-finding-that-china-stole-sensitive-technology-from-u/) [Charles Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bass/) > [The violence in New Orleans is erupting and it's continuing to grow at an alarming rate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrann-mathieu/the-violence-in-new-orleans-is-erupting-and-it-s-continuing-to-grow/) [Tyrann Mathieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyrann-mathieu/) > [With so much evidence of depleting natural resources, toxic waste, climate change, irreparable harm to our food chain and rapidly increasing instances of natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yehuda-berg/with-so-much-evidence-of-depleting-natural-resources-toxic-waste/) [Yehuda Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yehuda-berg/) > [We are losing privacy at an alarming rate - we have none left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcafee/we-are-losing-privacy-at-an-alarming-rate-we-have-none-left/) [John McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcafee/) > [It's kind of alarming for me to realize that, when I'm writing stories about times I remember, it's already historical fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/it-s-kind-of-alarming-for-me-to-realize-that-when-i-m-writing-stories/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Once food gets into our fridges, larders and kitchens, ensuring that it gets used up before going off seems like an obvious thing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristram-stuart/once-food-gets-into-our-fridges-larders-and-kitchens-ensuring-that-it/) [Tristram Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristram-stuart/) > [Through my newspaper comic strip, public speaking, and filmmaking, I try to tell as many people as possible, of all ages and from all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-toomey/through-my-newspaper-comic-strip-public-speaking-and-filmmaking-i-try/) [Jim Toomey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-toomey/) > [I'd be totally exhausted by mid-afternoon, and I could barely climb the stairs at home. It was particularly alarming because all my life I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crawford/i-d-be-totally-exhausted-by-mid-afternoon-and-i-could-barely-climb/) [Michael Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crawford/) > [Young Americans are dropping out of religion at an alarming rate of five to six times the historic rate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-putnam/young-americans-are-dropping-out-of-religion-at-an-alarming-rate-of/) [Robert D. Putnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-putnam/) Browse all 68 Alarming quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Well, it is alarming to have a president [Reagan] who doesn't know what he is doing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "McGeorge Bundy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mcgeorge-bundy/well-it-is-alarming-to-have-a-president-reagan-who-doesn-t-know-what/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alarming" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mcgeorge-bundy/well-it-is-alarming-to-have-a-president-reagan-who-doesn-t-know-what/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/502/mcgeorge-bundy-50610_american-politics_well-it-is-alarming-to-have-a-president_1111683.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/502/mcgeorge-bundy-50610_american-politics_well-it-is-alarming-to-have-a-president_1111683.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/502/mcgeorge-bundy-50610_american-politics_well-it-is-alarming-to-have-a-president_1111683.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Well, it is alarming to have a president [Reagan] who doesn't know what he is doing.” — McGeorge Bundy", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "McGeorge Bundy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mcgeorge-bundy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Well, it is alarming to have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mcgeorge-bundy/well-it-is-alarming-to-have-a-president-reagan-who-doesn-t-know-what/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mcgeorge-bundy/well-it-is-alarming-to-have-a-president-reagan-who-doesn-t-know-what/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```