On nepotism

Per my January 25, 1810 letter.

When I stepped into the presidency, I knew I was carrying a heavy burden. A young nation like ours is always vulnerable. We have enemies abroad who want to see us fail, and we have deep political divisions at home. I quickly realized that our greatest weapon against foreign threats isn’t a massive army or an expensive navy. Our ultimate weapon is unity. If the American people trust their government, our nation becomes unbreakable. But if that trust is broken, we fall apart from the inside.

To build that trust, the people must see that their leader cares about the country, not himself. A President must never use the power of the government to enrich his own household. This is why I made a strict, unbending rule for myself the moment I took office: I would never, under any circumstances, give a government job to a relative.

My cousin, John Garland Jefferson, wrote to me about this. He is a good man, and like many relatives, he could have used the support. It is a harsh rule, and it often feels unfair to my own blood. By enforcing this policy, I essentially placed my family in a worse position than total strangers. A stranger could be hired based on his merits, but a relative of mine was instantly disqualified, no matter how qualified he might be.

But this sacrifice is absolutely necessary. The public is naturally suspicious of people in power. If I were to appoint even one cousin or nephew to a government post, even if he were the absolute best person for the job, the public would only see favoritism. They would see a leader using public funds to take care of his family. The moment the people believe their President is focused on personal gain rather than the public good, their confidence shatters. Without confidence, unity is impossible. And without unity, we cannot stand against our enemies.

Therefore, to keep America strong, a President must avoid even the tiniest appearance of doing wrong. True public service requires putting the nation first and family ambitions second.