Presidential biographer Jon Meacham on the sins and virtues of America’s leaders

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham joins Margaret Hoover to talk about the lessons of America’s past and the threats to democracy looming in the future.

Meacham, whose latest book “And There Was Light” focuses on President Abraham Lincoln, details the qualities of the country’s most successful presidents and the role their faith played in governing.

The historian, who has helped craft speeches for President Joe Biden, discusses the political impact of the classified document controversy engulfing the White House, and he weighs in on whether the 80-year-old incumbent should run again in 2024.

Meacham, writer of an acclaimed biography of President Andrew Jackson, also reflects on differences between Jackson and Donald Trump, the rapid transformation of the Republican Party under Trump’s influence, and the results of the midterm elections.

Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by Robert Granieri, Charles R. Schwab, The Fairweather Foundation, The Asness Family Foundation, The Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, The Center for the Study of the International Economy Inc., Damon Button, The Pritzker Military Foundation on behalf of the Pritzker Military Museum and Library, The Marc Haas Foundation, and Stephens Inc.