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The Conversation with Dasha Burns

Revelations about Biden’s White House from the first inside account

The Conversation with Dasha Burns

POLITICO

Government, Politics, News

4.41.5K Ratings

🗓️ 8 September 2023

⏱️ 65 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What makes President Joe Biden? We’re all pretty familiar with Vice President Biden and Senator Biden. But in his latest iteration as commander-in-chief, it hasn’t been as easy to see inside his mind. Cracking into Biden’s brain and inside the White House has been a challenge for the media. He’s surrounded by a tight “clan” of family and advisors who have achieved Biden lifer status — and they don’t often leak. It consists of his sister Valerie, and the five advisers known as the Quint: Steve Ricchetti, Mike Donilon, Anita Dunn, Bruce Reed, and now former chief of staff Ron Klain. It’s been a notoriously tough circle to penetrate. But now one person has done it: Franklin Foer, who spent the last few years inside the heads of Biden and his team and has written the definitive account of President Biden’s first two years in office called “The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future.” The book was originally supposed to be about the first one hundred days. But the story was too interesting to stop. Next, he planned to wrap up after the passage of Build Back Better. The book ended up growing into a two-year project that ends tidily with the midterms. But where the book really shines when it grapples with the core of who Biden is — both psychologically and ideologically. Whether you love Biden or hate him, Frank’s book just might change your mind about how you understand him. On this episode of Playbook Deep Dive, host and Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza sits down with Frank Foer to dig into the revelations that fill the pages of his new book, like how pivotal Biden’s inner circle is to his decision making; his relationship with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy; the low point of the presidency so far; and what’s in store for Biden as he prepares for another run as the oldest sitting president in history.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

What makes President Joe Biden?

0:03.9

We're all pretty familiar with Vice President Biden and Senator Biden, but in his latest

0:08.4

iteration as Commander-in-Chief, it hasn't been as easy to see inside his mind.

0:14.5

Cracking into Biden's brain and inside his White House has been a challenge for the media.

0:20.0

He's surrounded by a tight plan of family and advisors who have all achieved Biden

0:24.8

in life or status.

0:26.5

And they don't often leak.

0:27.9

His sister Valerie and the five advisors known as the Quint Steve Rashetti, Mike Donnellan,

0:32.6

Anita Dunn, Bruce Reed, and now former Chief of Staff Ron Clayne.

0:37.3

It's been a notoriously tough circle to penetrate, but now one person has done it.

0:42.7

Franklin IV, who spent the last few years inside the heads of Biden and his team, has

0:47.8

written the definitive account of President Biden's first two years in office.

0:52.6

And what he learned just might surprise you.

0:56.8

I'm Ryan Liza, and this is Playbook Deep Dive.

1:03.3

Frank's book is the last politician inside Joe Biden's White House and the struggle for

1:07.6

America's future.

1:09.3

Frank didn't sit out to write about the first two years, the book was originally supposed

1:12.9

to be about the first 100 days, but the story was too interesting to stop.

1:18.6

If he planned to wrap up after the passage of Billback Fetter, then well that didn't

1:23.1

happen.

1:24.1

So the book grew into a two year project that ends tidally with the midterms.

1:29.5

The book has a lot of news in it, and we're going to cover much of it today.

...

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