Page "Warren G. Harding" Paragraph 40

According to biographers, Harding got along better with the press than any other previous President, being a former newspaperman.

Reporters admired his frankness, candor, and his confessed limitations.

He took the press behind the scenes and showed them the inner circle of the presidency.

Harding, in November 1921, also implemented a policy of taking written questions from reporters during a press conference.

Harding's relationship with Congress, however, was strained and he did not receive the traditional honeymoon given to new Presidents.

Before Harding's election, the nation had been adrift ; President Woodrow Wilson had been ill by a debilitating stroke for eighteen months and before that Wilson had been in Europe for several months attempting to negotiate a peace settlement after World War I.

By contrast, at the March 4, 1921 Inaugural, Harding looked strong, with grey hair and a commanding physical presence.

Wilson's successor stressed the importance of the ceremonial aspects of the office of President.

This emphasis fulfilled his desire to travel the breadth of the country to officiate at formal functions.