Great Presidents vs Donald Trump with historian Douglas Brinkley.
The Bill Press Pod
BP Pods
4.7 • 601 Ratings
🗓️ 16 April 2024
⏱️ 38 minutes
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Summary
What can a deep dive into presidents of the past tell us about the potential of a Biden second term and the dangers of a Trump second term? For the answers we turn to Douglas Brinkley, a leading presidential historian. He is CNN's official Presidential Historian, a professor at Rice University and the author of 20 books. In this episode, Bill talks to Brinkley about the qualities of great presidents and the lessons we can learn from them. They discuss the importance of figures like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, who are often considered the greatest presidents in American history. Brinkley highlights their leadership during times of crisis, such as the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and World War II. They also discuss the changing role of the presidency over time, including the increased focus on foreign affairs and the environment. Brinkley emphasizes the importance of a president's ability to adapt to new technologies and effectively communicate with the public. They also touch on the current presidential election and the contrasting styles of Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Brinkley concludes by stating that this election is one of the most important in American history due to the potential consequences of a second Trump term.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, hello, good friends. Welcome back to the Bill Press pod and welcome to the second installment |
| 0:12.9 | of our four parts special series on choosing a president. And the big question we're asking is, |
| 0:18.9 | what lessons can we learn from having picked 47 presidents so far that help us make the right choice in 2024? |
| 0:26.6 | And again, I know most of you listening have already made up your mind. You know that I have, but we still think that is very, very important. For one thing, just to remind us how far out |
| 0:40.5 | a line Donald Trump is with every one of our former presidents, Republican or Democrat, just way, |
| 0:48.1 | way out there, totally unfit for the office and unthinkable that he would ever get back |
| 0:53.2 | close to the White House. So it's a good reminder for us, and unthinkable that he would ever get back close to the White House. |
| 0:54.8 | So it's a good reminder for us and it gives us some ammunition to talk to our friends |
| 1:01.0 | and make sure that they don't sit this election out or don't take it for granted. |
| 1:06.2 | That's why we're doing this. |
| 1:07.9 | And again, our guide along the way is the renowned presidential historian Douglas |
| 1:12.8 | Brinkley, professor of history at Rice University who studied all of our presidents in depth and |
| 1:18.1 | written books about several of them. We kicked off our series with Doug Brinkley last week |
| 1:23.3 | examining what qualities we should be looking for in any candidate for president. |
| 1:28.4 | What's the magic mix? |
| 1:30.4 | And today, we asked Professor Brinkley to walk us through the ranks of those who've actually |
| 1:34.7 | served in the Oval Office. |
| 1:36.5 | Who are the great ones or not so great? |
| 1:38.6 | What made them great? |
| 1:40.3 | What they accomplished or how they united and inspired the nation? |
| 1:45.9 | And what's more important, |
| 1:53.2 | domestic policy or foreign policy? And then again, we'll circle back to how all of this relates to Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Professor Brinkley, good to have you back here on the Bill Press |
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