He continually boasted of himself and vilified the aristocrats, who in return treated him badly.

His dislike of them was so marked that Isham G.Harris, a rival politician, remarked that "if Johnson were a snake, he would lie in the grass to bite the heels of rich men's children." His primitive notions of punishment were evident in 1865 when he advocated imprisonment, execution, and confiscation; but like other reckless talkers he often said more than he meant.
When Johnson succeeded to the presidency, the feeling was nearly universal among the radicals, according to Julian, that he would prove a godsend to the country, for "aside from Mr.Lincoln's known policy of tenderness to the rebels, which now so jarred upon the feelings of the hour, his well known views on the subject of reconstruction were as distasteful as possible to radical Republicans." Senator Wade declared to the President: "Johnson, we have faith in you.

By the gods, there will be no trouble now in running the Government!" To which Johnson replied: "Treason is a crime and crime must be punished.

Treason must be made infamous and traitors must be impoverished." These words are an index to the speeches of Johnson during 1863-65.

Even his radical friends feared that he would be too vindictive.