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A Recast of ‘Presidential’

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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Recastable Episodes (110)

1. Introduction: Welcome to Presidential Jan. 5, 2016
2. George Washington: The man, the myth, the legend Jan. 10, 2016
3. John Adams: The case of the missing monument Jan. 18, 2016
4. Thomas Jefferson: On food and freedom Jan. 25, 2016
5. James Madison: Burning down the house Jan. 31, 2016
6. James Monroe: The Forrest Gump of presidents Feb. 7, 2016
7. John Quincy Adams: The trait that broke a presidency Feb. 14, 2016
8. Andrew Jackson: The violence, the fight Feb. 21, 2016
9. Martin Van Buren: The story of our two-party system Feb. 29, 2016
10. William Henry Harrison: Great song, horrible death March 6, 2016
11. John Tyler: Ghosts and the vice presidency March 13, 2016
12. James K. Polk: Getting it done March 20, 2016
13. Zachary Taylor: War heroes and conspiracy theory March 27, 2016
14. Millard Fillmore: Teaching the obscure presidents April 3, 2016
15. Franklin Pierce: Rolling off the tracks April 10, 2016
16. James Buchanan: The bachelor and the bloodshed April 18, 2016
17. Abraham Lincoln: His hand and his pen April 24, 2016
18. Andrew Johnson: Stitching up a torn country May 2, 2016
19. Ulysses S. Grant: Lover, fighter, writer May 8, 2016
20. Rutherford B. Hayes: The most contested election May 15, 2016
21. James A. Garfield: Shot down May 23, 2016
22. Chester A. Arthur: Redemption May 29, 2016
23. Grover Cleveland: Tell the truth June 5, 2016
24. Benjamin Harrison: The president as conservationist June 12, 2016
25. William McKinley: The modern campaign June 20, 2016
26. Theodore Roosevelt: Exuberance June 26, 2016
27. William Howard Taft: This chief, not that chief July 3, 2016
28. Woodrow Wilson: A complicated legacy July 11, 2016
29. Warren G. Harding: Love and scandal July 18, 2016
30. Calvin Coolidge: A tale of two Coolidges July 25, 2016
31. Herbert Hoover: Dealing with disaster July 31, 2016
32. Franklin D. Roosevelt: Through Eleanor's eyes Aug. 7, 2016
33. Harry S. Truman: Trying to make the right call Aug. 15, 2016
34. Dwight D. Eisenhower: Covert action Aug. 21, 2016
35. John F. Kennedy: We are all mortal Aug. 28, 2016
36. Lyndon B. Johnson: Power Sept. 4, 2016
37. Richard Nixon: Looking inward Sept. 11, 2016
38. Gerald Ford: It's personal Sept. 18, 2016
39. Jimmy Carter: Keeping the faith Sept. 25, 2016
40. Ronald Reagan: Myths and truths Oct. 2, 2016
41. George H. W. Bush: Restraint Oct. 9, 2016
42. Bill Clinton: The good and the bad Oct. 16, 2016
43. George W. Bush: Changing course Oct. 23, 2016
44. Barack Obama: The pursuit of identity Oct. 30, 2016
45. Donald Trump: Division and union Nov. 9, 2016
46. Introducing 'Constitutional' June 29, 2017
47. The preamble July 17, 2017
48. Constitutional Episode 01: Framed July 24, 2017
49. Introduction: Welcome to Presidential Jan. 5, 2016
50. George Washington: The man, the myth, the legend Jan. 10, 2016
51. John Adams: The case of the missing monument Jan. 18, 2016
52. Thomas Jefferson: On food and freedom Jan. 25, 2016
53. James Madison: Burning down the house Jan. 31, 2016
54. James Monroe: The Forrest Gump of presidents Feb. 7, 2016
55. John Quincy Adams: The trait that broke a presidency Feb. 14, 2016
56. Andrew Jackson: The violence, the fight Feb. 21, 2016
57. Martin Van Buren: The story of our two-party system Feb. 29, 2016
58. William Henry Harrison: Great song, horrible death March 6, 2016
59. John Tyler: Ghosts and the vice presidency March 13, 2016
60. James K. Polk: Getting it done March 20, 2016
61. Zachary Taylor: War heroes and conspiracy theory March 27, 2016
62. Millard Fillmore: Teaching the obscure presidents April 3, 2016
63. Franklin Pierce: Rolling off the tracks April 10, 2016
64. James Buchanan: The bachelor and the bloodshed April 18, 2016
65. Abraham Lincoln: His hand and his pen April 24, 2016
66. Andrew Johnson: Stitching up a torn country May 2, 2016
67. Ulysses S. Grant: Lover, fighter, writer May 8, 2016
68. Rutherford B. Hayes: The most contested election May 15, 2016
69. James A. Garfield: Shot down May 23, 2016
70. Chester A. Arthur: Redemption May 29, 2016
71. Grover Cleveland: Tell the truth June 5, 2016
72. Benjamin Harrison: The president as conservationist June 12, 2016
73. William McKinley: The modern campaign June 20, 2016
74. Theodore Roosevelt: Exuberance June 26, 2016
75. William Howard Taft: This chief, not that chief July 3, 2016
76. Woodrow Wilson: A complicated legacy July 11, 2016
77. Warren G. Harding: Love and scandal July 18, 2016
78. Calvin Coolidge: A tale of two Coolidges July 25, 2016
79. Herbert Hoover: Dealing with disaster July 31, 2016
80. Franklin D. Roosevelt: Through Eleanor's eyes Aug. 7, 2016
81. Harry S. Truman: Trying to make the right call Aug. 15, 2016
82. Dwight D. Eisenhower: Covert action Aug. 21, 2016
83. John F. Kennedy: We are all mortal Aug. 28, 2016
84. Lyndon B. Johnson: Power Sept. 4, 2016
85. Richard Nixon: Looking inward Sept. 11, 2016
86. Gerald Ford: It's personal Sept. 18, 2016
87. Jimmy Carter: Keeping the faith Sept. 25, 2016
88. Ronald Reagan: Myths and truths Oct. 2, 2016
89. George H. W. Bush: Restraint Oct. 9, 2016
90. Bill Clinton: The good and the bad Oct. 16, 2016
91. George W. Bush: Changing course Oct. 23, 2016
92. Barack Obama: The pursuit of identity Oct. 30, 2016
93. Donald Trump: Division and union Nov. 9, 2016
94. Introducing Constitutional June 29, 2017
95. The preamble July 17, 2017
96. Constitutional Episode 01: Framed July 24, 2017
97. Introducing Moonrise July 19, 2019
98. LIVE EVENT | 'Unprecedented Presidents' live from WBUR CitySpace March 6, 2020
99. BONUS | Binding up the nation's wounds June 19, 2020
100. BONUS | When a VP pick changes history Aug. 7, 2020
10 more episodes