Five siblings who made life difficult for American presidents

The families of those seeking to win and retain the highest office in the land generally understand their respective duties, toeing the course and refraining from anything that might harm their loved ones’ chances.

However, every family has its unpredictable ones, and American presidents are no exception.

From public acts of indecency to their brothers’ involvement in geopolitical scandals, here are five presidential siblings who prove that, even as commander in chief, no one can embarrass you as much as your family.

Malik Obama

The half-brother of the 44th president, Malik is not exactly the supportive sibling Barack Obama might have wanted, even though the two men were initially close after their first meeting in 1985 in Washington DC.

Malik later served as best man at Barack and Michelle’s wedding in 1992, led celebrations in Kenya after his brother’s election in 2008 and declared in 2013 GQ that it was he who convinced the former president to reconnect with his African roots.

However, the Kenyan-American businessman has ended those brotherly ties, using his name and increased platform to criticize his brother’s record and express support for Donald Trump.

The problems began in 2016, when Malik told the The New York Post that he felt “deep disappointment” with his brother’s record as president, and that he held him responsible for the death of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, whom he considered one of his closest friends.

Malik has since endorsed Donald Trump in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 elections.

He was also among a number of surprise guests – including women who had accused Bill Clinton of sexual abuse – invited by Trump to the 2016 presidential debates.

In 2020, Malik’s name was once again in the news after he revived a conspiracy theory about his half-brother’s citizenship by sharing on Twitter an image of a fake birth certificate that listed Barack’s birthplace as Mombasa, Kenya.

On Wednesday, Malik declared his official support for Trump’s candidacy in the election.

“I am Malik Obama. I am a registered Republican and I am voting for President Donald Trump,” he wrote on X.

Roger Clinton Jr.

Bill’s younger half-brother, Roger Clinton, was nicknamed “Headache” by the Secret Service for the embarrassment he caused the Clintons.

In 1985, while Bill was governor of Arkansas, Roger spent more than a year behind bars after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

Roger then spent most of his brother’s two terms in office trying to leverage the Clinton name into a career in music and film.

Although he starred in B-grade masterpieces such as Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings And Bio-DomeRoger’s theatrical efforts never gained much momentum, and his musical successes culminated in a 1999 tour of Pyongyang, North Korea.

In 2001, Roger again received negative media attention when it was revealed that he had received $50,000 and a gold Rolex from the children of Rosario Gambino, a convicted drug trafficker and crime family member, in exchange for his efforts to pressure his brother into pardoning the mobster.

Despite all this, Bill remained his brother’s keeper and pardoned Roger for his cocaine conviction in 1985, one of his last acts as president.

Roger was quick to reward his brother’s leniency, getting arrested for drunk driving just a month later.

Donald Nixon

Donald Nixon, born Francis, was the younger brother of Richard Nixon and dreamed of matching his brother’s political achievements with success in the fast food industry.

In 1957, when his brother was vice president under Dwight D. Eisenhower, Donald received a strangely generous $205,000 gift from engineer and business magnate Howard Hughes to bail out his struggling California restaurant.

As the drive-in theater failed, Hughes’ largesse was seen as an attempt to buy influence with Richard Nixon, a suspicion that hampered his unsuccessful bid in the 1960 election.

Allegations of corruption continued to surround Donald throughout Richard’s tenure as president, and during the Watergate investigations of 1973, it was revealed that Richard had even ordered the Secret Service to tap his brother’s telephone.

Neil Bush

Brother of George W. and son of George H.W., Neil Bush’s career has been marked by numerous financial scandals.

In the 1980s, when his father was vice president, Neil Bush was a director of Silverado Savings and Loan, whose collapse in 1988 cost taxpayers more than $1 billion.

For his role in the Silverado failure, Bush was investigated by the U.S. Office of Thrift Supervision, which determined in 1991 that Bush had used his position to obtain loans for people he had not told his colleagues were business partners, and barred him from banking.

In 1999, Bush was also charged with insider trading, after he made nearly $800,000 in a single day by selling his Kopin Corporation shares on the same day the company closed a lucrative deal with Japanese electronics company JVC.

Neil claimed he had no prior knowledge of the deal, but his ability to stir up scandal continued after his brother came to power in 2001.

In 2002, Bush signed a consulting contract with Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp, although he later admitted he had no knowledge of the semiconductor industry, and the company promised him $2 million in stock over five years.

During his publicized divorce from Sharon Bush in 2003, Neil also admitted to several extramarital affairs while traveling in Thailand and Hong Kong.

Billy Carter

Perhaps no one embodies the awkward brother more than Billy Carter, the younger brother of 39th President Jimmy Carter.

Billy was the complete antithesis of his pious brother, whose Southern baptism and abstinence from alcohol only highlighted William Alton Carter’s extreme lifestyle.

By engaging in public displays of revelry, such as urinating on an Atlanta airport runway in full view of the press, or promoting the failed “Billy Beer” campaign to capitalize on his drunken image, President Carter once remarked that it was easier to control the U.S. Senate than your own brother.

Although his demeanor was often amusing, Billy found himself embroiled in a geopolitical scandal in the late 1970s after becoming a de facto envoy of the Libyan government.

Billy visited the North African state several times, hosted a Libyan delegation in Atlanta and later received a $200,000 loan from Muammar Gaddafi’s government in exchange for facilitating oil trade with the United States.

Jimmy expressed “concern” over his brother’s actions, prompting a 1980 Senate subcommittee investigation into “activities of individuals representing the interests of foreign governments.”

The whole affair, dubbed “Billygate” by the Washington Postremains one of the most notorious examples of fraternal embarrassment.

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