The Washington Post's Presidential podcast explores how each former American president reached office, made decisions, handled crises and redefined the role of commander-in-chief. It was released leading up to up to Election Day 2016, starting with George Washington in week one and ending on week 44 with the president-elect. New special episodes in the countdown to the 2020 presidential election highlight other stories from U.S. presidential history that can help illuminate our current moment. Hosted by Lillian Cunningham, the series features Pulitzer Prize-winning biographers like David McCullough and Washington Post journalists like Bob Woodward. [When you're done, listen to Lillian's other historical podcasts: Constitutional and Moonrise]
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Position in the History chart (US), last 90 days.
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days in the top 100 since Nov 2024
Latest episodes
Showing 20 · updated from the feed
BONUS | The presidents who’ve tried to win back the White House
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, for
Oct 23 2024 44 min
BONUS | Women, politics and the presidency
“Presidential” host Lillian Cunningham talks with Sharon McMahon, the creator behind Instagram’s @SharonSaysSo, about women’s ongoing fight for more political power — exa
Sep 26 2024 36 min
Introducing, "The Sports Moment"
Ava Wallace, sports reporter at The Washington Post, is in France to report on the Summer Games — and eat a lot of croissants. Join her through the entire run of the game
Jul 25 2024 1 min
The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop: ‘Somebody knows’
Every 19th of October, Grenadians mark a somber anniversary: the 1983 execution of the country’s former prime minister and revolutionary leader, Maurice Bishop, and other
Nov 22 2023 51 min
Introducing “The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop”
Grenada’s Black revolutionary leader, Maurice Bishop, was executed in a coup in 1983, along with seven others. The whereabouts of their remains are unknown. Now, The Wash
Oct 13 2023 3 min
Listen to the first episode of “Field Trip”: Yosemite National Park
To hear the rest of the series, follow “Field Trip” wherever you listen.
California’s Sierra Nevada is home to a very special kind of tree, found nowhere else on Earth:
Jun 28 2023 55 min
Introducing “Field Trip”
Journey through the messy past and uncertain future of America’s national parks. The Washington Post’s Lillian Cunningham ventures off the marked trail to better understa
Jun 14 2023 3 min
A sneak peek from Lillian
Exclusively for listeners of “Presidential,” Lillian Cunningham shares news about her new podcast. You don’t want to miss this.
Jun 6 2023 1 min
BONUS | Happy Presidents’ Day! Or … not?
Students, teachers and historians reflect on what has changed — and should change — about the way we teach presidential history today. This special episode features presi
Feb 21 2022 26 min
Joe Biden: Triumph, tragedy and the fate of the center
Four years later, the “Presidential” podcast adds a new biography to its cadre of American presidents. This special episode explores Joe Biden's decades-long, hard-fought
Nov 8 2020 53 min
BONUS | What books about Trump say about America
Books published in the Trump era reveal the battles over, and changes in, the American presidency today. In this special episode of “Presidential,” Post nonfiction book c
Oct 23 2020 30 min
BONUS | Pandemic, propaganda and the presidency
The 1918 influenza pandemic killed more than 675,000 Americans, but President Woodrow Wilson never made a single public statement about it. Why? Here’s what happens when
Sep 24 2020 40 min
BONUS | When a VP pick changes history
Geraldine Ferraro broke a major barrier in American politics in 1984, when she became the first woman nominated for the vice presidency by a major party. It was a histori
Aug 7 2020 39 min
BONUS | Binding up the nation's wounds
The famous black contralto singer Marian Anderson performed at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939, after being denied the ability to perform down the street at Constitution Hal
Jun 19 2020 29 min
LIVE EVENT | 'Unprecedented Presidents' live from WBUR CitySpace
Four years after making Presidential, host Lillian Cunningham led a panel examining what's really unprecedented--or not--about Donald Trump's presidency. Historians Alexi
Mar 6 2020 43 min
Donald Trump: Division and union
In this final episode of the podcast, Library of Congress historians Michelle Krowl and Julie Miller return--along with Washington Post journalist Dan Balz--to reflect on
Nov 9 2016 56 min
Barack Obama: The pursuit of identity
Political strategist David Axelrod and biographer David Maraniss discuss Barack Obama's search for identity -- and how that quest has paralleled America's own complex rec
Oct 30 2016 56 min
George W. Bush: Changing course
Peter Baker, author of "Days of Fire" and a journalist with the New York Times, joins historian Mark Updegrove to examine how George W. Bush's presidency marked the begin
Oct 23 2016 46 min
Bill Clinton: The good and the bad
David Maraniss, who won the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on Bill Clinton, explores how Clinton's core character traits had both a bright and a dark side. And Post rep
Oct 16 2016 48 min
George H. W. Bush: Restraint
Historians Jon Meacham and Jeffrey Engel discuss President Bush's unique form of presidential leadership--a vintage combination of public service, conservatism and emotio
Oct 9 2016 51 min
Chart positions
Where Presidential ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 13, 2026).
A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.
I learned so much about some of the obscure presidents. I walked away with a greater respect and appreciation for the men who have held the office.
badyouthpastor · Jan 2024
Each presidency does not stand alone. They are all woven into each other. To understand the complexity of the office of the President, let alone the history the of the United States, it’s vital to start from Washington and continue to the present day. This podcast really lays out context in a very human way.
TGSFTW · Dec 2023
Overall this is a very informative podcast. The only outlier is the Trump episode. It was published just 3 days after the 2016 election, so it can be forgiven for being so different. However, since the Biden episode follows the general format of the series, an updated Trump episode would be great.
Some of the interviews have audio so poor that you have to adjust the volume between interviewer and interviewee.
Jackrabbit49er · Jun 2023
A friend recommended this podcast to me and I have not been disappointed!!!
Case in point: I’ve listened to the Harry Truman segment 3 times. Kudos for bringing the incomparable David McCollough to provide insight.
Anyway, Lillian Cunningham knocked the ball out of the park with this series.
ShipShore · Mar 2023
I’m a tremendous fan of this podcast. But one notorious mistake has damaged its credibility so badly, that I’m giving it a low rating. At the end of the October 2024 episode, the host contends that if Trump were to win, he would only have four years. While legally true today, we’ve seen in other countries around the world how elected officials find ways to circumvent their own laws to stay in power. Presidential is far better at looking backwards (5 stars). When it comes to assuming what will happen in the future, it should probably wait until it has passed.
The Reviewru · Nov 2024
Great podcast until the Trump episode. Whether you like the guy or not, in the very first episode you stated you would give an honest report even if the president was not necessarily good or bad. You ended by spending 10 minutes bashing Trump in an hour long episode. Otherwise its a decent podcast
bloopitydoopity · Jul 2023
We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.
Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of Presidential, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.
