What in the world is the matter with that donkey?
Subject(s): Democratic Party (U.S.), Donkeys, Progressive Party (1912), Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945, Third parties (United States politics), Wallace, Henry A. (Henry Agard), 1888-1965
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President Franklin Roosevelt and Vice President Henry Wallace stand outside the fence at the “Democratic Corral,” watching a donkey that appears to be fiercely pawing the ground. A sign reads “Bulletin. Democrats Face Threat of Third Party Movement.” The president says, “What in the world is the matter with that donkey?” Wallace responds, “I’m not sure but I’ve heard rumors that he’s getting a Bull Moose complex.” The Bull Moose Party was the nickname for Theodore Roosevelt’s Progressive Party, which split off from the Republican Party in 1912. In the 1942 congressional elections, the Democrats lost a number of seats to the Republicans, although they retained control of the Congress. In the wake of this defeat, there were some calls to establish a new party, but they came to nothing.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1942-12-13
Creator(s)
Berryman, Clifford Kennedy, 1869-1949
Language
English
Period
Theodore Roosevelt and Public Memory (1919-present)
Repository
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Page Count
1
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. See the Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library Terms of Use for further copyright information.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
What in the world is the matter with that donkey?. [December 13, 1942]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o290979. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Berryman, Clifford Kennedy, 1869-1949. What in the world is the matter with that donkey?. [13 Dec. 1942]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o290979.
APA:
Berryman, Clifford Kennedy, 1869-1949., [1942, December 13]. What in the world is the matter with that donkey?.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o290979.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
APA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
