Post-Presidency Perks

Civics 101

NHPR

History, Government, Society & Culture

4.2 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 22 November 2022

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What does a person get after the U.S. presidency’s over and done with? We answer a question from listener Patrick, who asks if former presidents get anything special. Do they ever, and we lay out the perks of having once held the highest office in the land. Please note: an earlier version of this episode stated that Harry Truman was the only living president at the passage of the 1958 Former Presidents Act. Former President Herbert Hoover was also still living at the time of the passage of this Act. CLICK HERE: Visit our website to see all of our episodes, donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more! To see Civics 101 in book form, check out A User's Guide to Democracy: How America Works by Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice, featuring illustrations by Tom Toro. Check out our other weekly NHPR podcast, Outside/In - we think you'll love it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You know, I once read that the cast of Ocean's 11 would check into hotels with the last name
0:07.0	president.
0:08.0	So if they got a wake up call or whatever, it would be for Mr. President.
0:12.0	Table for 11 for Mr. President.
0:14.8	Although frankly, I feel like a table for Mr. Clooney and Mr. Damon would probably get
0:18.4	you further.
0:19.4	This is Civic 101.
0:26.4	I am Hannah McCarthy.
0:27.4	I'm the Capitite Che.
0:28.4	And today we are looking into what exactly it means to carry that honorary president around.
0:37.2	But you know, for real, like what do you get being Mr. President even after you leave
0:42.6	the White House in your rear view?
0:45.0	But credit where credit is due, this question did not come from us.
0:48.8	Hi, I'm Mary Ellen Wessels.
0:50.6	I teach middle school civics at Gate City Charter School for the Arts in Merrimack, New
0:55.0	Hampshire.
0:56.0	One of my students, Patrick, asked me a great question that I really didn't know the answer
0:59.8	to.
1:00.8	Um, does a former president have any special privileges like bodyguards or free stuff,
1:08.6	things like that?
1:09.9	It turns out, Patrick, that there is a whole act of Congress that takes care of this entire
1:14.8	question.
	...

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