The overachiever president is back, and he’s not here to relax. Kyle and Eric break down how James K. Polk took the Oval Office like it was a four-year challenge round: start a war with Mexico, threaten Britain over Oregon, cut tariffs, expand the country by a third, and burn himself out in record time.

It’s Manifest Destiny, micromanagement, and moral mayhem: the ultimate story of a man who did everything and enjoyed none of it.

🎙️ The Buck Starts Here — where history meets sharp wit, brutal honesty, and the occasional existential rant.

Music:

Semper Fidelis by Heftone Banjo Orchestra, Free Music Archive, license CC-BY-SA

Images:

James K Polk: George Peter Alexander Healy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Polk Dallas campaign banner: Nathaniel Currier firm derivative work: Jim Evans, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Henry Clay: Matthew Harris Jouett, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

1844 Electoral Map: United States Geological Survey, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Oregon Border Dispute: No machine-readable author provided. Roke~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

James Buchanan: The Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Zachary Taylor: The Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

1847 postage stamps: Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson See also: U.S. presidents on U.S. postage stamps U.S. Postage stamp locator, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons