He was called a repulsive pedant, a gross hypocrite, an egregious fool having neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman. He was said to be unfit and incapable as President, a man whose defects of character were guaranteed to bring certain ruin to his party. He was attacked for his great intrinsic defects of character, his disgusting egotism, weakness, vacillation, his ungovernable temper. He was said to be quite mad, insane.

Who was this man? Was it Obama, Trump, or Biden? No, it was John Adams, our second President.

Note: The insults are documented in David McCoullough’s biography of John Adams.