What was Taft's philosophy about the presidency?

President Taft had different thoughts about the presidency than his predecessor, Theodore Roosevelt, had about it. Roosevelt believed the President should be front and center of almost everything that occurred. When we took action in foreign policy, Roosevelt was the face of those actions. Roosevelt boasted that he was responsible for the Panama Canal. Roosevelt was also very active and very public regarding actions in the United States. Roosevelt believed the President should be seen...

President Taft had different thoughts about the presidency than his predecessor, Theodore Roosevelt, had about it. Roosevelt believed the President should be front and center of almost everything that occurred. When we took action in foreign policy, Roosevelt was the face of those actions. Roosevelt boasted that he was responsible for the Panama Canal. Roosevelt was also very active and very public regarding actions in the United States. Roosevelt believed the President should be seen and heard. He went after big businesses and publicized his ideas about conservation. Roosevelt felt comfortable floating many ideas about many different topics. Roosevelt would make decisions in a very forceful manner.

President Taft had a different view of the presidency. He preferred to remain behind the scenes and avoid political gamesmanship. Taft was much more reserved than Roosevelt. He would take actions but do so in a less public manner. For example, while both Taft and Roosevelt broke up many trusts, it is Roosevelt who was called the trustbuster. Taft did his work much more quietly than Roosevelt.

Both of these men were active supporters of the Progressive Movement. However, Roosevelt received far more credit for progressive actions than Taft did because his personality was stronger and more outgoing than Taft’s personality. This is reflected in how both men had different viewpoints of the presidency.