Presidential
62 episodes - English - Latest episode: 8 months ago - ★★★★ - 3.6K ratingsThe Washington Post's Presidential podcast explores how each former American president reached office, made decisions, handled crises and redefined the role of commander-in-chief. It was released leading up to up to Election Day 2016, starting with George Washington in week one and ending on week 44 with the president-elect. New special episodes in the countdown to the 2020 presidential election highlight other stories from U.S. presidential history that can help illuminate our current moment. Hosted by Lillian Cunningham, the series features Pulitzer Prize-winning biographers like David McCullough and Washington Post journalists like Bob Woodward. [When you're done, listen to Lillian's other historical podcasts: Constitutional and Moonrise]
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Episodes
James K. Polk: Getting it done
March 20, 2016 17:38 - 33.5 MBThey 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
March 13, 2016 14:54 - 29.4 MBWhen 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
March 06, 2016 18:39 - 28.1 MBWashington 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
February 29, 2016 03:58 - 35.7 MBMartin 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
February 21, 2016 22:25 - 42.5 MBBarbara 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
February 14, 2016 21:00 - 41.7 MBWe'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
February 07, 2016 19:00 - 37.2 MBIn 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
January 31, 2016 23:34 - 35.6 MBThough 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
January 25, 2016 01:00 - 39.9 MBJon 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
January 18, 2016 01:12 - 30.8 MBIn 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
January 10, 2016 21:00 - 45.5 MBWho exactly was our first president? Bob Woodward, Joel Achenbach and Julie Miller kick off our first episode of Presidential.
Introduction: Welcome to Presidential
January 05, 2016 17:15 - 3.65 MBPreview the Washington Post podcast, with clips from upcoming episodes and an overview of the series by host Lillian Cunningham.