117 – Paranormal Presidents: Superstitions, Seances, and Ghosts In The White House

Mike Huberty • November 8, 2016

While the partisan hysterics of the 2016 Presidential Election has amateur political pundits  “unfriending” each other  on Facebook and torn family relationships asunder , we’re more interested in the things that can bring people together. And nothing unifies a nation like a great supernatural experience!

American presidents are no stranger to the world of the weird. From Jimmy Carter’s UFO  encounter to Ronald and Nancy Reagan’s enthusiasm for astrology,   the various Leaders of the Free World have not only had their own experiences, it seems like some wanted to keep the job so bad, they’ve never left.

paranormal presidents lincoln
Mary Todd dig the spike. Half the spooky stories in the White House are about Honest Abe!

It’s the Lincoln Bedroom that has a ton of paranormal presidential stories and people have seen the spirit of good ol’ Lincoln himself , his wife Mary Todd was a believer in spiritualism who wanted to contact the spirit of their deceased son and it’s believed that they conducted seances in the White House. From premonitions of his death to ghosts of the conspirators involved in his assassination, it seems like Lincoln’s afterlife has been just as eventful as his life.

Speaking of Lincoln, it seems like he was the victim of the “Tippecanoe Curse” of William Henry Harrison. Because of Harrison’s brutality to the Tippecanoe Tribe in Indiana it is said that they cursed him to die in office and that  every President elected 20 years after would die in office too. And it happened.   From Harrison all the way up to JFK, 1840 to 1960, 120 years. Ronald Reagan broke the curse by surviving his eight years in office, but he was the victim of an assassination attempt 69 days into his presidency that he barely survived. The Gipper has his own ghost story in the Lincoln Bedroom as well!

paranormal president podesta obama ufos
John Podesta and President Obama – Was Hillary’s Campaign Chair pumping the Commander-In-Chief for UFO disclosure?

It’s the WikiLeaks release of Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman (and noted X-Files  enthusiast) John Podesta’s emails that has brought the paranormal aspect to the 2016 Presidential campaign. The news sites can talk about the DNC plotting against Bernie Sanders, private email servers, donations to the Clinton Foundation,  blah blah blah… we’re more interested in his email exchanges with conspiracy theorist/punk rocker Tom DeLonge  and  dearly departed astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell  that made headlines earlier this year. Plus, just before the election it was discovered that he was invited to an Aleister Crowley-inspired “spirit cooking” ceremony , so really John Podesta is the paranormal hero of the 2016 election.

Cthulhu for paranormal President
Cthulhu for President

This being Election Season, of course people have been asking us about our official opinion for President and we’re proud to endorse a candidate that we really can believe in. We even wrote an Election Day song for our preferred candidate. This year the best option is to “Vote Cthulhu”!

There’s a lot of people saying
That they don’t like the candidates
They think the results are all rigged
They think their vote will go to waste
But there’s a choice you can support
If you feel your view is underserved
There’s a sleeper that lies dreaming
Who’ll give us just what we deserve

I’m voting Cthulhu,
Because it’s time we all came clean.
I’m calling Cthulhu,
Apocalypse is what I mean.
I’m voting Cthulhu,
To wake the Elder Gods themselves.
If you’re gonna waste your vote, well why not waste everyone else?

On the left or on the right,
It won’t matter where you stand,
When you’re driven mad from fear,
You just won’t care in a wasteland.
That is not dead which can eternal lie,
And with strange aeons even death may die.

I’m voting Cthulhu,
Because it’s time we all came clean.
I’m calling Cthulhu,
Apocalypse is what I mean.
I’m voting Cthulhu,
To wake the Elder Gods themselves.

If you’re gonna waste your vote, well why not waste everyone else?

ghosts and pizza
By Mike Huberty September 17, 2025
Join the Chicago Ghosts and Pizza Tour in October 2025. Explore haunted Loop landmarks, taste Chicago’s best deep-dish pizza, and hear chilling ghost stories. Two nights only at The Exchequer, Oct 23 and Oct 30 at 6 PM.
New Orleans ghost tour
By Mike Huberty September 13, 2025
Join Rory & Rosary O’Neill on Oct 3 in New Orleans for a haunted ghost tour + signed copy of The Haunted Guide to New Orleans.
ghost stories Milwaukee Third Ward
By Tea Krulos September 13, 2025
Discover Milwaukee’s most haunted brunch spots. From ghostly legends to Bloody Marys, these restaurants mix paranormal history with delicious brunch.
La Garita del Diablo of puerto rico
By Chris Callaghan September 11, 2025
Discover the chilling legend of La Garita del Diablo at Fort San Cristóbal, where a soldier vanished without a trace. Explore San Juan’s haunted past on our Ghost Tours.
Great Dane in Madison, WI
By Mike Huberty September 10, 2025
Step inside one of Madison’s most haunted bars. The Great Dane Pub, formerly the Fess Hotel, has seen over 150 years of history and unexplained paranormal activity. Join Ghost Host Lisa Van Buskirk on a Capitol Square Ghost Walk with American Ghost Walks and experience Madison’s eerie side for yourself.
La Llorona Legend
By Chris Callaghan September 10, 2025
Discover the chilling tale of La Llorona, the weeping woman whose tragic story haunts Latin America. Learn about this legendary ghost and her centuries-old curse.
drawing of the lady elgin
By Mike Huberty September 9, 2025
Explore the sinking of the Lady Elgin, Lake Michigan’s most haunted shipwreck, and discover ghost stories on Milwaukee and Chicago ghost tours.
Bermuda Triangle
By Chris Callaghan September 8, 2025
Discover where the Bermuda Triangle is located and uncover its mysterious disappearances. Navigate through the most enigmatic waters between Bermuda, Miami, and Puerto Rico.
Ressurection of Mary
By Ursula Bielski September 4, 2025
Discover the legend of Resurrection Mary on Archer Avenue in Chicago. Visit Resurrection Cemetery with our ghost tours for a haunting experience.
Milwaukee Paracon 2025 logo
By Mike Huberty September 3, 2025
Experience Milwaukee Paracon 2025 on October 18 at the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center—an all-day, free paranormal conference featuring ghost stories, urban legends, UFO sightings, Wisconsin folklore, expert speakers, and unique vendors. Register now for Brew City’s top supernatural event