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Presidents' hobbies in office

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Presidents' Hobbies in Office — Daily trivia Wednesday, April 15, 2026: questions and answers

All 10 questions with answers and explanations. Play this daily

  1. Q 01Which President had a single-lane bowling alley added in the White House basement?

    • ARichard Nixon
    • BJimmy Carter
    • CRonald Reagan
    • DLyndon B. Johnson
    Show answer

    Richard Nixon

    The brine

    Richard Nixon added the one-lane alley in the basement, and his administration also turned Franklin Roosevelt's old indoor pool into the modern press briefing room.

  2. Q 02Which US president played tenor saxophone on a late-night talk show during his campaign?

    • ARonald Reagan
    • BBill Clinton
    • CGeorge H.W. Bush
    • DJimmy Carter
    Show answer

    Bill Clinton

    The brine

    Bill Clinton famously played the saxophone, and his appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show during his 1992 campaign helped introduce him to a wider audience.

  3. Q 03Which President was known for his passion for basketball, playing regularly while in office?

    • AGeorge W. Bush
    • BBarack Obama
    • CJohn F. Kennedy
    • DDonald Trump
    Show answer

    Barack Obama

    The brine

    Barack Obama played varsity basketball in Hawaii and continued to play recreationally throughout his life, including during his presidency.

  4. Q 04Which former general and avid golfer had a putting green installed at the White House?

    • ADwight D. Eisenhower
    • BUlysses S. Grant
    • CWilliam Howard Taft
    • DDonald Trump
    Show answer

    Dwight D. Eisenhower

    The brine

    Dwight D. Eisenhower golfed so devotedly that he had his golf balls painted black so he could see them against snow.

  5. Q 05Theodore Roosevelt trained in the White House with Yoshitsugu Yamashita in which martial art?

    • AKarate
    • BKendo
    • CSumo
    • DJiu-jitsu
    Show answer

    Jiu-jitsu

    The brine

    Theodore Roosevelt's jiu-jitsu training with Yamashita made him urge it for soldiers, and he boxed as president until a blow left him blind in his left eye, kept quiet for years.

  6. Q 06Which Founding Father and President was also an accomplished violinist?

    • AThomas Jefferson
    • BJames Madison
    • CGeorge Washington
    • DJohn Adams
    Show answer

    Thomas Jefferson

    The brine

    Thomas Jefferson was a polymath whose interests included architecture, famously designing Monticello, and he was also a skilled violinist.

  7. Q 07Which President's White House cats, Tabby and Dixie, were a gift from Secretary of State William Seward?

    • AUlysses S. Grant
    • BAbraham Lincoln
    • CAndrew Johnson
    • DJames Buchanan
    Show answer

    Abraham Lincoln

    The brine

    Abraham Lincoln doted on the cats and reportedly said Dixie was smarter than his whole cabinet; his dog Fido had stayed behind in Illinois.

  8. Q 08Which former college football center had an outdoor pool built at the White House?

    • AJohn F. Kennedy
    • BRonald Reagan
    • CGeorge H.W. Bush
    • DGerald Ford
    Show answer

    Gerald Ford

    The brine

    Gerald Ford swam twice a day before becoming president, and to ease budget worries his outdoor pool was paid for entirely by private donations, capped at $1,000 each.

  9. Q 09Which President enjoyed early-morning nude swims in the Potomac while in office?

    • AAndrew Jackson
    • BMartin Van Buren
    • CJohn Quincy Adams
    • DJames K. Polk
    Show answer

    John Quincy Adams

    The brine

    John Quincy Adams swam naked in the Potomac in the early mornings; by a likely apocryphal tale, journalist Anne Royall sat on his clothes until he answered her questions.

  10. Q 10What did Lyndon Johnson sometimes do to startle unsuspecting guests at his Texas ranch?

    • AHosting elaborate rodeos
    • BBreeding exotic animals
    • CSteering visitors into a lake
    • DStaging fake cattle stampedes
    Show answer

    Steering visitors into a lake

    The brine

    Steering visitors into a lake was the joke: the president rolled his Amphicar down a hill shouting that the brakes had failed, and guests only then learned it could float.

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