With only 44 members since the 1700s, it’s arguably the world’s most exclusive fraternity. They are bound forever by a shared experience and yet are rivals for history’s favor. We’re talking, of course, about the U.S. Presidency.
Wednesday on Up to Date, the history of the private relationships among our commander-in-chiefs … their backroom deals, secret alliances and enduring rivalries. TIME editor and presidential historian Nancy Gibbs, co-author of the book The Presidents Club, joins us for a conversation about these powerful relationships.
The book, written with journalist Michael Duffy, looks at the quiet ups and downs of their relationships, including: How Jack Kennedy tried to blame Ike for the Bay of Pigs. How Ike helped Reagan win. How Richard Nixon conspired with Lyndon Johnson to get elected and then betrayed him. How Jerry Ford and Jimmy Carter turned a deep enmity into an alliance. The letter from Nixon that Bill Clinton rereads every year. The unspoken pact between the Bush men. The roots of the rivalry between Clinton and Barack Obama.
