Roosevelt was fifty when the fleet sailed. He remained a Republican for most of his life but broke with the party after deciding that his successor, William Howard Taft, had taken the administration in the wrong direction. He then ran under the Progressive, or Bull Moose, banner and split the vote. The episode presents a politician willing to challenge his own party while building a durable constituency for the Navy.
Notable Point · 19:32-20:47
Roosevelt's Bull Moose break with Taft
Roosevelt's break with William Howard Taft and the Republican Party produced his Progressive, or Bull Moose, campaign and split the vote.