Cika wannan jumla: McKinley ya kasance
An kashe shi a watan Satumbar 1901, kuma Theodore Roosevelt ya gaje shi. Taft da Roosevelt sun fara zama abokai a kusa da 1890 yayin da Taft ya kasance Babban Shari'a kuma Roosevelt memba ne na Hukumar Kula da Harkokin Kasuwanci. Taft, bayan zaben McKinley, ya bukaci a nada Roosevelt a matsayin Mataimakin Sakataren Sojojin Ruwa, kuma ya kalli Roosevelt ya zama gwarzon yaƙi, Gwamnan New York, da Mataimakin Shugaban Amurka. Sun sake saduwa lokacin da Taft ya tafi Washington a watan Janairun 1902 don dawowa bayan ayyukan biyu da cutar ta haifar. A can, Taft ya shaida a gaban Kwamitin Majalisar Dattijai a Philippines. Taft yana son manoman Filipino su sami hannun jari a cikin sabuwar gwamnati ta hanyar mallakar ƙasa, amma yawancin filayen da ake nomawa suna da tsarin addinin Katolika na yawancin firistocin Spain, waɗanda galibi Filipinos ke fushi da su. Roosevelt ya sa Taft ya tafi Roma don yin shawarwari tare da Paparoma Leo XIII, don sayen ƙasashe da kuma shirya janyewar firistocin Mutanen Espanya, tare da Amurkawa suna maye gurbin su da kuma horar da mazauna gida a matsayin limamai. Taft bai yi nasarar warware wadannan batutuwa ba a ziyarar da ya kai Roma, amma an cimma yarjejeniya a kan duka batutuwa biyu a 1903.