Presidential

BONUS | The presidents who’ve tried to win back the White House Oct 23, 2024

This is the second of two special “Presidential” podcast episodes released in advance of the presidential election on Nov. 5. The episodes examine how the candidates, former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, could make history if they win. This episode focuses on the history and precedent surrounding Trump’s run, as a former president hoping to retake the office.

Library of Congress archivist – and “Presidential” fan favorite – Michelle Krowl talks with host Lillian Cunningham about the long history of American presidents seeking reelection after their tenure has ended, unspooling the stories of the six previous men to try it. Only former president Grover Cleveland was successful, but all of their efforts offer parallels and lessons for today.

Want to brush up on more presidential history? Listen to the full “Presidential” podcast. Host and creator Lillian Cunningham takes listeners on an epic historical journey through the personality and legacy of each American president. The podcast features interviews with the country’s greatest experts on the presidency, including Pulitzer Prize-winning biographers Doris Kearns Goodwin, David McCullough, Jon Meacham and Bob Woodward.

Archival audio in this episode is courtesy of the Library of Congress and the G. Robert Vincent Voice Library at Michigan State University.

BONUS | Women, politics and the presidency Sep 26, 2024

“Presidential” host Lillian Cunningham talks with Sharon McMahon, the creator behind Instagram’s @SharonSaysSo, about women’s ongoing fight for more political power — examining the arc of progress since 1920, when women across the nation first voted for president. They guide listeners through women’s initial efforts to gain the right to vote and explore why the pace of further progress has been slower than expected over the past century. They also discuss the changes that are likely (and unlikely) to happen if Harris does become the first woman to win the White House.

McMahon is the host of “Here’s Where It Gets Interesting” and author of “The Small and the Mighty.”

In addition to creating “Presidential,” Cunningham is the host of several other Washington Post podcasts, including “Field Trip”—which explores the past, present and future of America’s national parks. Want to keep in touch? You can follow her on Instagram and subscribe to her mailing list.

Archival audio in this episode is courtesy of the Library of Congress, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and News Radio KDKA. Special thanks to the Shirley Chisholm Cultural Institute.

Introducing, "The Sports Moment" Jul 25, 2024

Ava Wallace, sports reporter at The Washington Post, is in France to report on the Summer Games — and eat a lot of croissants. Join her through the entire run of the games, for several episodes a week as she captures the highs, the lows and the Paris of it all, along with other Post colleagues.

Follow The Sports Moment podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or YouTube.

Sign up for The Sports Moment: Olympics Edition newsletter here.

The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop: ‘Somebody knows’ Nov 22, 2023

Every 19th of October, Grenadians mark a somber anniversary: the 1983 execution of the country’s former prime minister and revolutionary leader, Maurice Bishop, and others who died alongside him. The people of this Caribbean nation still have no closure 40 years later. The remains of Bishop and his supporters were never returned to their family members and are missing to this day.

In the first episode of “The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop,” The Washington Post’s Martine Powers takes us on the personal journey that led her to learn about Grenada’s history. Martine delves into why Bishop was such an influential figure, what made the United States nervous about him and why the mystery of his missing remains continues to haunt so many on the island.

Listen to more episodes here – or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music or Spotify.

You can find photos and documents from the investigation in our special episode guide here.

Subscribers to The Washington Post can get early access to episodes of the series on Apple Podcasts, as well as ad-free listening. Link your Post subscription now or sign up to become a new Post subscriber here.

Introducing “The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop” Oct 13, 2023

Grenada’s Black revolutionary leader, Maurice Bishop, was executed in a coup in 1983, along with seven others. The whereabouts of their remains are unknown. Now, The Washington Post’s Martine Powers uncovers new answers about how the U.S. fits into this 40-year-old Caribbean mystery.

“The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop” is an investigative podcast that delves into the revolutionary history of Grenada, why the missing remains still matter and the role the U.S. government played in shaping the fate of the island nation.

Listen and follow the show here.

Listen to the first episode of “Field Trip”: Yosemite National Park Jun 28, 2023

To hear the rest of the series, follow “Field Trip” wherever you listen.

California’s Sierra Nevada is home to a very special kind of tree, found nowhere else on Earth: the giant sequoia. For thousands of years, these towering trees withstood the trials of the world around them, including wildfire. Low-intensity fires frequently swept through groves of sequoias, leaving their cinnamon-red bark scarred but strengthened, and opening their cones to allow new seeds to take root.

But in the era of catastrophic wildfires fueled by climate change, these ancient trees are now in jeopardy. And Yosemite National Park is on the front lines of the fight to protect them.

In the first episode of “Field Trip,” Washington Post reporter Lillian Cunningham takes listeners inside this fabled landscape — from the hush of the Mariposa Grove to the rush of the Merced River — to explore one of America’s oldest and most-visited national parks.

We’ll hear from Yosemite forest ecologist Garrett Dickman on the extreme measures he’s taken to protect iconic trees; from members of the Southern Sierra Miwuk working to restore Native fire practices to the park; and from Yosemite superintendent Cicely Muldoon about the tough choices it takes to manage a place like this.

We’ll also examine the complicated legacies that conservationist John Muir, President Abraham Lincoln and President Theodore Roosevelt left on this land.

The giant trees of Yosemite kick-started the whole idea of public land preservation in America. Join us as we visit the place where the idea of the national parks began — and ask what the next chapter might look like.

You can see incredible photos of Yosemite and find more on the national parks here.

Subscribe to The Washington Post with a special deal for podcast listeners. Your first four weeks are free when you sign up here.

Introducing “Field Trip” Jun 14, 2023

Journey through the messy past and uncertain future of America’s national parks. The Washington Post’s Lillian Cunningham ventures off the marked trail to better understand the most urgent stories playing out in five iconic landscapes today.

“Field Trip” is a new podcast series that will transport you to five national parks: Yosemite, Everglades, Glacier, White Sands and Gates of the Arctic. Follow the show wherever you listen.

A sneak peek from Lillian Jun 06, 2023

Exclusively for listeners of “Presidential,” Lillian Cunningham shares news about her new podcast. You don’t want to miss this.

BONUS | Happy Presidents’ Day! Or … not? Feb 21, 2022

Students, teachers and historians reflect on what has changed — and should change — about the way we teach presidential history today. This special episode features presidential experts Barbara Perry and Julian Zelizer, “How the Word Is Passed” author Clint Smith, and the AP government and politics class of teacher Michael Martirone.

Joe Biden: Triumph, tragedy and the fate of the center Nov 08, 2020

Four years later, the “Presidential” podcast adds a new biography to its cadre of American presidents. This special episode explores Joe Biden's decades-long, hard-fought personal and political path to the White House, with the New Yorker’s Evan Osnos.

BONUS | What books about Trump say about America Oct 23, 2020

Books published in the Trump era reveal the battles over, and changes in, the American presidency today. In this special episode of “Presidential,” Post nonfiction book critic Carlos Lozada shares what he’s learned from reading more than 150 of them.

BONUS | Pandemic, propaganda and the presidency Sep 24, 2020

The 1918 influenza pandemic killed more than 675,000 Americans, but President Woodrow Wilson never made a single public statement about it. Why? Here’s what happens when efforts to promote patriotism and suppress free speech collide with a deadly virus.

BONUS | When a VP pick changes history Aug 07, 2020

Geraldine Ferraro broke a major barrier in American politics in 1984, when she became the first woman nominated for the vice presidency by a major party. It was a historic decision by Democratic presidential candidate and former vice president Walter Mondale. And it did more than pave the way to the White House for more diverse candidates — it also fundamentally changed the way all future presidential campaign teams would approach vice-presidential announcements and conventions.
Hosted by Washington Post journalist Lillian Cunningham, this podcast episode features former vice president and ’84presidential candidate Walter Mondale; Mondale’s former campaign press secretary, Maxine Isaacs; and vice-presidential historian Joel Goldstein.
This is a special episode of the “Presidential” podcast series. In 44 chronological episodes, the “Presidential” podcast took listeners on an epic historical journey through the personality and legacy of each of the American presidents. Created and hosted by Lillian Cunningham, “Presidential” features interviews with the country’s greatest experts on the presidency, including Pulitzer Prize-winning biographers, historians and journalists.
The full “Presidential” series is available to listen to here. Start listening at the very beginning, with the life of George Washington, or jump ahead to any president whose story you want to better understand.
Photo credit: Associated Press

BONUS | Binding up the nation's wounds Jun 19, 2020

The famous black contralto singer Marian Anderson performed at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939, after being denied the ability to perform down the street at Constitution Hall. And when she did, she transformed the monument into something more than a stone temple to Abraham Lincoln. She ushered in its new life as an active place for generations of Americans to continue the work to“bind up the nation’s wounds.”
Hosted by Washington Post journalist Lillian Cunningham, the podcast episode features experts Molefi Kete Asante, head of the African American Studies Department at Temple University; Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln”; and Post architecture critic Philip Kennicott.
This is a special episode of the “Presidential” podcast series. In 44 chronological episodes, the “Presidential” podcast took listeners on an epic historical journey through the personality and legacy of each of the American presidents. Created and hosted by Lillian Cunningham, “Presidential” features interviews with the country’s greatest experts on the presidency, including Pulitzer Prize-winning biographers, historians and journalists.
The full “Presidential” series is available to listen to here. Start listening at the very beginning, with the life of George Washington, or jump ahead to any president whose story you want to better understand.

LIVE EVENT | 'Unprecedented Presidents' live from WBUR CitySpace Mar 06, 2020

Four years after making Presidential, host Lillian Cunningham led a panel examining what's really unprecedented--or not--about Donald Trump's presidency. Historians Alexis Coe, Drew Gilpin Faust and Julian Zelizer joined for this live event in Boston.

Donald Trump: Division and union Nov 09, 2016

In this final episode of the podcast, Library of Congress historians Michelle Krowl and Julie Miller return--along with Washington Post journalist Dan Balz--to reflect on the changing nature of the American presidency.

Barack Obama: The pursuit of identity Oct 30, 2016

Political strategist David Axelrod and biographer David Maraniss discuss Barack Obama's search for identity -- and how that quest has paralleled America's own complex reckoning with race.

George W. Bush: Changing course Oct 23, 2016

Peter Baker, author of "Days of Fire" and a journalist with the New York Times, joins historian Mark Updegrove to examine how George W. Bush's presidency marked the beginning of a new era in American history.

Bill Clinton: The good and the bad Oct 16, 2016

David Maraniss, who won the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on Bill Clinton, explores how Clinton's core character traits had both a bright and a dark side. And Post reporter Jim Tankersley examines a similar duality in his policy legacy.

George H. W. Bush: Restraint Oct 09, 2016

Historians Jon Meacham and Jeffrey Engel discuss President Bush's unique form of presidential leadership--a vintage combination of public service, conservatism and emotional restraint--and examine why his legacy has grown more positive over time.

Ronald Reagan: Myths and truths Oct 02, 2016

Lou Cannon, biographer and senior White House correspondent for The Washington Post during President Reagan's administration, helps us separate the fact from fiction about who Ronald Reagan really was.

Jimmy Carter: Keeping the faith Sep 25, 2016

Longtime Carter political adviser Pat Caddell, theologian and biographer Randall Balmer, and Washington Post reporter Robert Costa examine how Jimmy Carter's faith has shaped his leadership in and out of the White House.

Gerald Ford: It's personal Sep 18, 2016

The president's son Steven Ford joins White House photographer David Hume Kennerly and Berkeley professor Daniel Sargent to talk about how Gerald Ford's experience working across the aisle in Congress affected his leadership style as president.

Richard Nixon: Looking inward Sep 11, 2016

Bob Woodward, one of the Washington Post investigative reporters who helped uncover the Watergate scandal, examines what was at the heart of Richard Nixon's presidential downfall. The Washington Post's current executive editor, Marty Baron, joins as well.

Lyndon B. Johnson: Power Sep 04, 2016

The LBJ Presidential Library's director, Mark Updegrove, helps us examine how Johnson worked his will--at times darkly--to get some of the most transformative legislation of the 20th century through Congress.

John F. Kennedy: We are all mortal Aug 28, 2016

Robert Dallek, Michael Beschloss and Fredrik Logevall--three major Kennedy historians and biographers--join us on this week's episode to talk about JFK and death. But not his assassination...

Dwight D. Eisenhower: Covert action Aug 21, 2016

Stephen Kinzer, author of "The Brothers," and historian Will Hitchcock explore President Eisenhower's predilection for covert action--both in foreign affairs and in his own leadership style.

Harry S. Truman: Trying to make the right call Aug 15, 2016

Biographer David McCullough looks at some of the most difficult decisions President Truman made during his time in the White House, and Washington Post polling manager Scott Clement examines the biggest polling failure in presidential history.

Franklin D. Roosevelt: Through Eleanor's eyes Aug 07, 2016

Allida Black, editor of the Eleanor Roosevelt papers, along with FDR Library Director Paul Sparrow and White House speechwriter Sarada Peri, examine Franklin Roosevelt's leadership through the lens of the first lady's own contributions to his presidency.

Herbert Hoover: Dealing with disaster Jul 31, 2016

Herbert Hoover entered the White House with an array of high-profile experiences leading disaster relief. So why was his handling of the Great Depression considered a failure? Biographer Charles Rappleye guest stars.

Calvin Coolidge: A tale of two Coolidges Jul 25, 2016

Former politician Michael Dukakis, biographer Amity Shlaes and political scientist Robert Gilbert join Washington Post economics reporter Steven Pearlstein to offer a version of Calvin Coolidge's legacy that doesn't follow the standard story.

Warren G. Harding: Love and scandal Jul 18, 2016

Steamy love letters. Jazz. Scandal. Psychics. Newspapers. The Hope Diamond. Historian Nicole Hemmer helps guide us through the wild life and presidency of Warren G. Harding.

Woodrow Wilson: A complicated legacy Jul 11, 2016

Racism, diplomacy, women's suffrage...historian John Milton Cooper and Woodrow Wilson House executive director Robert Enholm lead us through Wilson's complicated personal and presidential legacy.

William Howard Taft: This chief, not that chief Jul 03, 2016

Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of 'The Bully Pulpit,' along with historian Michelle Krowl and Supreme Court reporter Robert Barnes discuss why President Taft made a better chief justice than commander-in-chief.

Theodore Roosevelt: Exuberance Jun 26, 2016

Biographer David McCullough and historian Michelle Krowl take us inside the wild, unstoppable dynamism of Teddy Roosevelt, whose energy and activism redefined the role of American president.

William McKinley: The modern campaign Jun 20, 2016

Republican political strategist Karl Rove dissects what was so transformative about William McKinley's 1896 presidential campaign. And Washington Post reporter Carol Leonnig discusses how his assassination modernized the Secret Service.

Benjamin Harrison: The president as conservationist Jun 12, 2016

Benjamin Harrison was the first U.S. president to use his position to try to save a species, the fur seal. He also set aside more than 13 million acres of forest reserves. This episode looks at the roots of conservation as a presidential responsibility.

Grover Cleveland: Tell the truth Jun 05, 2016

Known for his forthrightness, Cleveland came clean when news broke that he had fathered an illegitimate child; yet he later covered up a cancer surgery at sea. Guests Matthew Algeo, Michelle Krowl and Roman Mars explore candor and the presidency.

Chester A. Arthur: Redemption May 29, 2016

How does one of the greatest beneficiaries of the spoils system end up being the president who passes civil service reform? Post reporter David Fahrenthold and Stateline editor Scott Greenberger tell the amazing story of Arthur's personal transformation.

James A. Garfield: Shot down May 23, 2016

Only 100 days into office, President Garfield was shot down in a train station by a disturbed office seeker. 'Destiny of the Republic' author Candice Millard, along with Michelle Krowl of the Library of Congress, examine the life cut short.

Rutherford B. Hayes: The most contested election May 15, 2016

How does a vicious, close and disputed election spill over into a presidency? We examine the razor-thin election results for Rutherford B. Hayes, and the equally fine line he then had to tread as president during the end of Reconstruction.

Ulysses S. Grant: Lover, fighter, writer May 08, 2016

Ulysses S. Grant's memoirs are considered the best ever written by a president. In this episode, Washington Post nonfiction book critic Carlos Lozada and biographer David Maraniss discuss what they found funny, touching and illuminating about the work.

Andrew Johnson: Stitching up a torn country May 02, 2016

What kind of president can repair America's deepest divisions? Michelle Krowl of the Library of Congress walks us through Andrew Johnson's time in office right after the Civil War and sheds light on why he struggled to bring the country together.

Abraham Lincoln: His hand and his pen Apr 24, 2016

Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of 'Team of Rivals,' and Michelle Krowl of the Library of Congress guide us through Lincoln's love for language--and how his gift for writing and oratory became one of his greatest presidential leadership tools.

James Buchanan: The bachelor and the bloodshed Apr 18, 2016

America is on the eve of civil war, and James Buchanan is alone in the White House as our first and only bachelor president. Historians Jean Baker and Jim Loewen, and The Washington Post's Jim Tankersley, explore the lack of personal and political union.

Franklin Pierce: Rolling off the tracks Apr 10, 2016

Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer James McPherson and historian Edna Greene Medford discuss Franklin Pierce's role in the country's progression toward civil war, as well as the personal tragedy that unfolded right before he took office.

Millard Fillmore: Teaching the obscure presidents Apr 03, 2016

Should we teach the presidency of Millard Fillmore? What do we lose if we don't? Historians Jean Baker and James McPherson, along with Washington Post education reporter T. Rees Shapiro, tackle these questions in our 13th episode.

Zachary Taylor: War heroes and conspiracy theory Mar 27, 2016

Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank joins historians Catherine Clinton and Joseph Uscinski to talk about military hero Zachary Taylor and the assassination theories that swirled around his death in the White House.

James K. Polk: Getting it done Mar 20, 2016

They Might Be Giants singer John Linnell and historian Amy Greenberg are guests on this episode. Through hard work and strategic lying, the 11th president managed to accomplish everything on his agenda. But is being effective the same as being great?

John Tyler: Ghosts and the vice presidency Mar 13, 2016

When Vice President Tyler took over the White House, he set a precedent that would forever shape the office. This episode features experts Barbara Bair and Joel Goldstein, as well as descendants who talk about the ghost who haunts the Tyler home.

William Henry Harrison: Great song, horrible death Mar 06, 2016

Washington Post humor columnist Alexandra Petri, along with Barbara Bair and Dr. Philip Mackowiak, deconstruct Harrison's transformative presidential campaign and debunk the myth of what killed him after only 32 days in office.

Martin Van Buren: The story of our two-party system Feb 29, 2016

Martin Van Buren did much to create the political party establishments we have today. Experts Barbara Bair and Mark Cheathem, along with Washington Post reporter Chris Cillizza, examine his mark on modern politics.

Andrew Jackson: The violence, the fight Feb 21, 2016

Barbara Bair, Steve Inskeep and Jon Meacham examine the tragedy of Andrew Jackson's personal life, the brutality of his battles and his policies against Native Americans, and the conflict that makes up a dynamic democracy.

John Quincy Adams: The trait that broke a presidency Feb 14, 2016

We're about to witness how the inability to compromise can tank any hope of being an effective president.

James Monroe: The Forrest Gump of presidents Feb 07, 2016

In the latest episode of Presidential, we look at our fifth president's knack for being present at famous moments in history.

James Madison: Burning down the house Jan 31, 2016

Though he's our first wartime president, James Madison is usually better remembered for his work on the Constitution rather than his time as commander-in-chief while the White House went up in flames. But maybe that's the wrong way to look at it.

Thomas Jefferson: On food and freedom Jan 25, 2016

Jon Meacham and Annette Gordon-Reed are among the experts who take us through the best and worst of our third president's complex and controversial legacy.

John Adams: The case of the missing monument Jan 18, 2016

In the second episode of Presidential, biographer David McCullough as well as noted art and architecture experts explore why there's no monument to John Adams in Washington, DC -- and how that omission shapes our sense of his legacy.

George Washington: The man, the myth, the legend Jan 10, 2016

Who exactly was our first president? Bob Woodward, Joel Achenbach and Julie Miller kick off our first episode of Presidential.

Introduction: Welcome to Presidential Jan 05, 2016

Preview the Washington Post podcast, with clips from upcoming episodes and an overview of the series by host Lillian Cunningham.

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