The Washington Post

Presidential

History EN ↓ 60 episodes

The 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 McCul...

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Episodes

William Henry Harrison: Great song, horrible death 06.03.2016 30:42

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 29.02.2016 39:02

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 21.02.2016 46:29

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 14.02.2016 45:31

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 07.02.2016 40:40

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 31.01.2016 38:55

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 25.01.2016 43:33

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 18.01.2016 33:38

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 10.01.2016 49:42

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

Introduction: Welcome to Presidential 05.01.2016 3:12

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