This American President

He might look like an old man on the one-dollar bill, but George Washington was once a bona fide action hero. This episode explores our first president’s legendary exploits during the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. JOIN PREMIUM Listen ad-free for only $5/month at www.bit.ly/TAPpremium FOLLOW US www.linktr.ee/thisamericanpresident CREDITS Host: Richard Lim Producer: Michael Neal...

George III is known to history as the mad, tyrannical British king whose stubbornness and incompetence led to a humiliating defeat in the American Revolution. Renowned historian Andrew Roberts challenges that narrative in his new book, The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of George III. In this episode, we explore the enigmatic life of this consequential British monarch. ANDREW ROBERT...

How do you combat political misinformation in the era of fake news and hyper-partisanship? With non-partisan facts according to Sharon McMahon. In this episode we talk to Sharon McMahon, a former high school government and law teacher who earned a reputation as "America’s Government Teacher" amidst the historic 2020 election proceedings for her viral efforts on Instagram to educate the general pub...

On March 30, 1981, Secret Service agent Jerry Parr saved President Ronald Reagan's life during an assassination attempt in Washington, DC. By sheer coincidence, Jerry's wife Carolyn was working right across the street and witnessed the entire incident. In this episode, we interview Mrs. Parr about her and her late husband's experiences. CAROLYN PARR www.carolynmillerparr.com JOIN PREMIUM Listen ad...

On October 13, 1986, President Ronald Reagan spoke to the American people on his recent summit with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik, Iceland. During the speech, he discussed how close he and Gorbachev came to signing an agreement eliminating a large number of nuclear weapons and why he refused to give in to the Soviet leader's demands that he limit research on his Strategic Defense In...

When Ronald Reagan was elected president, his critics worried he would escalate the Cold War--maybe even provoke World War III. Reagan, however, was planning the exact opposite: yes, he wanted to defeat the Soviet Union but he had an audacious plan to work with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and abolish nuclear weapons from the face of the earth. In this episode, we discuss Reagan's bold vision a...

When Ronald Reagan became president in 1981, he brought with him a mix of old-fashioned Midwestern values with the glitz and glamour of Golden Age Hollywood. In this episode, we interview Professor Paul Kengor about Reagan’s unique, yet quintessentially American background. Paul Kengor is an author and professor of political science at Grove City College, a private Christian liberal arts college i...

On October 27, 1964, in a speech supporting the Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan speaks of big government, high taxation, and the "war on poverty." He addresses foreign policy issues including the risk of appeasement, "peace through strength," and the Vietnam War. The speech changed his life, establishing him as a rising star in the emerging conservative movement. JOI...

Over the past week, the world has seen and heard about horrible things coming out of Afghanistan. Decisions that were made in the White House over the past few administrations are now being scrutinized in light of these events, and as a podcast on presidents we wanted to provide some of that perspective given the news. To help to sift through all of this is Christopher Paul Meyer, a former Army in...

“Ronald Reagan, the actor?!” exclaimed Doc Brown in the film Back to the Future when he learned that Ronald Reagan was President of the United States in 1985. Indeed, to many, the idea of the former B-movie actor as leader of the free world was an absurd idea. Few, however, would predict that this unlikeliest of presidents would alter the course of American history. In this episode, we cover Ronal...

Every four years, someone loses the election for president of the United States. What is it like to suffer such an epic defeat? What do you do with yourself after suffering heartbreak on the world stage? In this episode, we interview Peter Shea and Tom Maday on their new book, In the Arena: A History of American Presidential Hopefuls, to find answers to these questions. Along the way, we learn abo...

On August 8, 1974, President Nixon addressed the country to announce his resignation as President of the United States. In his address he concludes that it is evident he no longer has a strong enough political base in Congress to justify continuing his efforts to carry out his term. He acknowledges that the interests of the nation should come before personal considerations. He concedes that Americ...

In 1972, Richard Nixon was reelected as the 37th president in one of the greatest landslides in American history. Nixon had reached the pinnacle of his career yet this record breaking campaign had also planted the seeds of his spectacular downfall. That June, a group of operatives were arrested after a burglary into the Democratic National Headquarters at the Watergate Hotel. In time, it was revea...

On February 28, 1972, President Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon were welcomed home by Vice President Spiro Agnew after landing at Andrews Air Force Base following the return of their historic trip to the People's Republic of China. China had been closed off for over two decades from the rest of the world and many saw them as espousing a radical version of communism, one that was even more d...

When Richard Nixon took office in 1969, he sought nothing less than to remake American foreign policy. He sought to forge a new balance of power and earn a place among history’s greatest peacemakers. He would go on to monumental achievements, opening relations with China and signing treaties with the Soviet Union, but he would also suffer one of the greatest downfalls in modern history. In this ep...

Photography plays an indelible role in how we remember and define American presidents. Throughout history, presidents have actively participated in all aspects of photography, not only by sitting for photos but by taking and consuming them. In this episode, we interview Cara A. Finnegan on her newly released book Photographic Presidents: Making History from Daguerreotype to Digital. We discuss man...

On November 3, 1969, Richard Nixon delivered this address to the nation on the war in Vietnam. In this speech he assures the American people that he is taking all necessary measures to push towards peace and end the Vietnam War. He does not advocate withdrawing troops, but instead negotiating peace. President Nixon remains sympathetic to the American call for peace but pushes forward with steadfas...

Richard Nixon entered office during one of the most tumultuous times in American history. And he had a bold agenda to remake his country’s foreign policy. For the first time, a new form of realism would dictate America’s Cold War strategy. The first test of this new worldview would occur in the jungles of Vietnam. JOIN PREMIUM Listen ad-free for only $5/month at www.bit.ly/TAPpremium FOLLOW US www...

Sports are as American as apple pie, yet even they have become a part of the political landscape. For decades, presidents have appeared at sporting events, and championship teams and gold medal winners have been invited to visit the White House. This wasn't always the case and you may be surprised to know that Richard Nixon was a pivotal figure in the nexus between American politics and sports. In...

On January 20, 1969, Richard Nixon delivered his first inaugural address—the culmination of one of the greatest comebacks in American political history. After losing the 1960 election to John F. Kennedy and then the 1962 California gubernatorial election, Nixon's political career was all but over. Although history remembers him as a controversial president, in this speech, he sought to unite a cou...

Richard M. Nixon is one of the country's most vilified presidents, and yet the American people entrusted him twice as vice president and twice as president. In this episode, we cover the highs and lows of Nixon‘s pre-presidential career and his tortuous path to the White House. We also cover his transformation, from America’s foremost anti-communist to its most prominent advocate for coexistence w...

He was one of the most ruthless tyrants who has ever lived. He is an icon of totalitarian oppression--and yet, he was also as human as you and me. In this episode, we interview Ronald G. Suny on his new book about the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, Stalin: Passage to Revolution. RONALD G. SUNY press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691182032/stalin JOIN PREMIUM Listen ad-free for only $5/month at...

Ray Harris Jr of The History of WWII Podcast is joined by Richard Lim to discuss Franklin D. Roosevelt. Now that the Japanese have struck at Pearl Harbor, FDR must lead the U.S. to victory. But what kind of man and politician was FDR? Join us to find out. This is a preview of an episode of The History of WWII Podcast, hosted by Ray Harris Jr. RAY HARRIS JR www.worldwariipodcast.net/ JOIN PREMIUM L...

When he was shot by assassin Charles Guiteau, President James Garfield was robbed of his place in history. He would forever be relegated to obscurity. In this episode, we interview Todd Arrington on his book on the 20th president and how Garfield deserves a better place in the annals of American history. Check out Todd Arrington's book, The Last Lincoln Republican: The Presidential Election of 188...

An enduring theme of Abraham Lincoln's life was his genius for striking a balance between opposing forces. Lacking formal schooling but with an unquenchable thirst for self-improvement, Lincoln had a talent for wrestling and bawdy jokes that made him popular with his peers, even as his appetite for poetry and prodigious gifts for memorization set him apart from them through his childhood, his year...