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The 11 Most Clever Secret Service Code Names for U.S. Presidents

Can you guess who Rawhide, Eagle, and Searchlight are?

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Rawhide

This Secret Service code name belonged to the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan. The code name was a result of his love of ranching and his appearance as an actor in numerous westerners before he got involved in politics. You probably didn’t know these surprising talents of U.S. presidents.

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Providence

Dwight Eisenhower was given the code name Providence when he came into office in 1953. After he retired, he was known as Scorecard because of his love for golf. Don’t forget to check out these funny code names.

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Lancer

Lancer was the Secret Service code name for president John F. Kennedy. His administration was often associated with the mythical and romantic Arthurian legend of Camelot, where Lancelot was a famous knight. Don’t miss these funny presidential quotes.

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Volunteer

Volunteer was the code name for president Lyndon B. Johnson. No one knows the origin of it, but it’s not very fitting considering he didn’t exactly volunteer to be president after Kennedy’s assassination.

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Deacon

This Secret Service code name was very fitting for president Jimmy Carter because he was very religious and an active member of the Baptist church. After his presidency, he went on to teach Sunday school. Here are more surprising presidential firsts you never knew.

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Eagle

Eagle is the code name for former president Bill Clinton. When he was getting ready to take office, the Secret Service assigned everyone in his family a code name beginning with the letter E. Former first lady Hillary Clinton was given the name Evergreen.

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Searchlight

This code name ironically belonged to President Richard Nixon. Nixon left office after trying to cover up the Watergate Scandal. His unconstitutional behavior definitely put him in the “searchlight” and it ultimately led to his resignation.

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Passkey

When Gerald Ford came into office, he pardoned Richard Nixon for his illegal behavior. His code name is also a little ironic because with that pardon, the door was effectively locked on any criminal prosecution of Nixon. Here are more facts about our U.S. presidents you don’t know.

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Timberwolf

No one really knows why George H.W. Bush was given a code name that makes him sound like a character in a Marvel action movie. His wife Barbara was given the Secret Service code name Tranquility, quite the opposite from Timberwolf. Find out the funniest joke told by these U.S. presidents.

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Trailblazer

The next Bush that entered the White House, George W. Bush, has the Secret Service code name Trailblazer. When he was the son of a sitting president though, he was given the name Tumbler.

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Renegade

Barack Obama chose this codename after the Secret Service presented him with a list of names starting with R that he could choose from. Michelle, Malia, and Sasha Obama also have codenames that start with the letter R: Michelle is Renaissance, Malia is Radiance, and Sasha is Rosebud.

Morgan Cutolo
Morgan Cutolo is a former senior production editor at Trusted Media Brands. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2016, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. In her free time, she likes exploring the seacoast of Maine, where she lives, and snuggling up on the couch with her corgi, Eggo, to watch HGTV or The Office.