It is historically known that President **أنور السادات** **Anwar Al-Sadat of Egypt** had met with seven U.S Presidents, **Johnson**, **Nixon**, **Ford**, **Carter**, **Reagan**, **H.W. Bush** (VP at the time) and **Joe Biden**.

Here I will narrate to you some Anecdotes that I have collected from various Egyptian and Arabian sources written in Arabic and have translated it to English for Cultural and Historical Enrichment, I hope you find this interesting and don't forget to check sources in the comments section.

I wish you an enjoyable reading ..

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1- Not only were **Sadat** and **Kennedy** similar in the fact that both were assassinated at the height of their glory and pomp, but there are also an interesting and facetious tale: When Anwar Sadat was head of national parliament and visited the United States in **February** **1966** and met with President **Lyndon B. Johnson** at the White House, he was particularly astounded by Johnson’s famous rocking chair.  
Johnson used the so-called “**Kennedy Rocker**,” a chair originally associated with **John F. Kennedy**, who had relied on it to ease chronic back pain.  
According to the story, Sadat admired the chair so much during that visit that one of the first things he later requested upon assuming presidency in **1970** was to have a similar rocking chair made for himself.

**2-** **On June 12, 1974**, Richard Nixon arrived in Cairo as the first U.S. president to visit Egypt since **Franklin D. Roosevelt** visit in **1943**. and while the relations between Egypt and USA was good after **Dwight D. Eisenhower** stood with Egypt during the **Suez crisis** in **1956**, It was severed after the **Six Days War** in **1967**.

And while **Watergate scandal** was shaking him in Washington, Cairo gave him a hero’s welcome.

Nixon and Sadat rode an open train from Cairo to Alexandria in a royal carriage once used by **Khedive Ismael الخديوي إسماعيل** and crowds of people flooded the tracks, children climbed trees, and the train had to slow down. and in Alexandria the motorcade of both presidents was surrounded by hundreds of Egyptians welcoming Nixon.

While in Cairo at **Al-Qubba Palace قصر القبة**, dancer **Sohair Zaki سهير زكي** stunned the U.S. delegation with her belly dance — and playfully tugged **Henry Kissinger**’s wavy hair as Nixon laughed and applauded.

Meanwhile, poet **Ahmed Fouad Negm أحمد فؤاد نجم** and blind singer **Sheikh Emam الشيخ إمام** were publicly mocking the visit with their satirical song “**Welcome Father Nixon شرفت يا نيكسون بابا** ” — a parody that got them arrested but became a famous cultural legends in Egypt, and were later acquitted.

Also Nixon came again to Egypt in **July 1980** for the funeral of the **Shah of Iran** and Sadat gave him an honorable welcome.

**3-** On the evening of **October 27, 1975**, U.S. President **Gerald Ford** and First Lady **Betty Ford** hosted a formal state dinner at the White House in honor of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and his wife **Jehan Sadat**. The evening included entertainment, music, and dancing.

Sadat danced with **Pearl Bailey**, a famous American singer and actress who had been appointed by Nixon as “**Ambassador of Love**” and later by President Ford as a special consultant to the U.S. mission to the United Nations. She was invited to perform after **Johnny Cash** canceled at the last minute. After receiving several standing ovations, she invited Sadat to dance during one of her songs, and he accepted. The dance was described as spontaneous and joyful, with photos showing her kissing Sadat and showing Sadat laughing warmly !

Also at the same time, President Ford invited **Jehan Sadat جيهان السادات** to dance in a scene described as cheerful and informal.

The event received wide American media coverage. ABC News broadcast footage the next day showing Bailey singing and dancing with both presidents. Some reports, including one on **October 29**, noted that the dance may have offended some traditional Muslims and even ordinary Muslims in Egypt and other Arab countries, as public dancing by women and men is uncommon and even considered strictly forbidden in many Islamic societies.

**4-** In his visit to USA in **March 1979** to conclude the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel , At the White House Sadat met **Joe Biden** who was a democrat Senator representing Delaware at the time.

**5-** On **April 8, 1980**, U.S. President **Jimmy Carter** hosted Egyptian President Anwar Sadat at the White House for a formal state dinner.

During the toast, Carter praised Sadat’s global popularity and leadership, and said: "**In our great country we have a lot to be thankful for... That's not the only thing I'm thankful for. Every day when the election progresses through its long and tortuous route, I'm thankful that one man is not running against me in the United States. \[Laughter\] How would you like to run against Anwar Sadat— \[laughter\] —for President of the United States? I would guess that he's possibly the most popular man not only in our country but in most parts of the world**". Sadat laughed joyfully when he heard that.

**6-** During Sadat's visit to USA in **August 1981** he met President **Ronald Reagan** who had flattered Sadat by saying that he is one of those who shaped history. He also said that Sadat narrated to him that he \[Sadat\] watched a movie in the cinema on the night of **23rd of July 1952 ثورة 23 يوليو**  revolution in Egypt, and that Movie was an American one starring Reagan himself, So Reagan joked saying "I think I played a role in that revolution! " (I will put Video of it down in the sources).

**7-** In **August 1981**, during President Anwar Sadat’s visit to the United States, U.S. Vice President **George H. W. Bush** was said to have praised Sadat in an extraordinary way, claiming that God created the world in six days, devoted one day to creating Jesus Christ, and even set aside an entire day to create Sadat alone, without creating anything else that day !

Egyptian intellectual **Mostafa Mahmoud مصطفي محمود** reportedly warned journalists not to publish it, fearing it would spark controversy, while prominent journalist **Amina El-Saeed أمينة السعيد** noted it could offend both Muslim and Christian faith communities.

**8-** On **October 8, 1981**, four U.S. presidents gathered at the White House: President Ronald Reagan, along with former Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter. They met two days after the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to deliver a unified statement.

Reagan addressed the nation on live television, emphasizing solidarity and warning against those who sought to divide nations and peoples. He praised Sadat’s courage and leadership, stating that while some feared him in life, his legacy would remain powerful after his death. Later on **October 10, 1981**, Carter, Nixon, Ford and with them Kissinger traveled to Cairo to attend Sadat’s funeral, while Reagan and Vice President Bush remained in the United States for security reasons.

According to White House and National Archives records, this was the first time in history that a sitting U.S. president met with three former presidents under one roof.

It was also known that Sadat called them in a humorous way "My Friends" as he was always saying : My friend Kissinger, My friend Carter, My friend Reagan etc..  
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The End ..

The Anecdotes of Anwar Sadat with U.S Presidents (Historcal Humor)