BONUS | The presidents who’ve tried to win back the White House
Presidential
The Washington Post
4.5 • 3.7K Ratings
🗓️ 23 October 2024
⏱️ 44 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It's a presidential election year and a former president is looking to regain the White House. |
| 0:08.6 | He had served in office for one term but didn't get reelected. Now four years later he's fighting hard to get |
| 0:16.2 | back in. As the election draws near it looks like he is |
| 0:23.8 | he is Grover Cleveland and the year is the year is the year is |
| 0:27.8 | 1892 |
| 0:30.8 | so not twenty-24, you're sure? |
| 0:34.0 | When you think that something is unprecedented and it's never happened before, |
| 0:38.0 | go back and look at another time, because you'll probably see parallels some of the language and some of the use of the |
| 0:45.9 | media. So not to say that we aren't living in times that are unique and have their own challenges. |
| 0:52.8 | But I think people would be surprised |
| 0:54.9 | to see how many parallels they can find in previous elections. |
| 0:59.7 | Well, previous elections, when former presidents who were out of office tried to get back into |
| 1:05.3 | the White House, that's what this episode is all about. |
| 1:10.3 | I'm Lillian Cunningham with the Washington Post and this is a special episode of Presidential. |
| 1:17.0 | I shall resign the presidency effective at noon tomorrow. |
| 1:24.8 | What your country can do for you. |
| 1:27.0 | A base which will live in information. |
| 1:33.3 | It's great to be back with a second bonus episode leading up to the 2024 election. |
| 1:39.5 | Our first bonus episode looked at the historical context of Vice President Kamala Harris's |
| 1:44.5 | presidential campaign. She's the Democratic nominee. This episode will put in |
| 1:50.2 | context the campaign of Republican nominee former President Donald Trump. |
| 1:57.0 | Now Trump, as you heard, is not the first president to leave the White House, |
... |
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