Confronting the Presidents

No Spin Assessments from Washington to Biden

De: Bill O'Reilly, Martin Dugard

Narrado por: Robert Petkoff

Every American president, from Washington to Biden: Their lives, policies, foibles, and legacies, assessed with clear-eyed authority and wit.

Authors of the acclaimed Killing books, the #1 bestselling narrative history series in the world, Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard begin a new direction with Confronting the Presidents.

From Washington to Jefferson, Lincoln to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Kennedy to Nixon, Reagan to Obama and Biden, the 45 United States presidents have left lasting impacts on our nation. Some of their legacies continue today, some are justly forgotten, and some have changed as America has changed. Whether famous, infamous, or obscure, all the presidents shaped our nation in unexpected ways.

The authors' extensive research has uncovered never before seen historical facts based on private correspondence and newly discovered documentation, such as George Washington's troubled relationship with his mother.

In Confronting the Presidents, O’Reilly and Dugard present 45 wonderfully entertaining and insightful portraits of each president, with no-spin commentary on their achievements—or lack thereof.

Who best served America, and who undermined the founding ideals?

Who were the first ladies, and what were their surprising roles in making history?

Which presidents were the best, which the worst, and which didn’t have much impact?

How do decisions made in one era, under the pressure of particular circumstances, still resonate today?

And what do presidents like to eat, drink, and do when they aren’t working—or even sometimes when they are?

These and many more questions are answered in each fascinating chapter of Confronting the Presidents. Written with O’Reilly and Dugard’s signature style, authority, and eye for telling detail, Confronting the Presidents will delight all listeners of history, politics, and current affairs, especially during the 2024 election season.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2024 Bill O'Reilly (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Could be a Fantastic Book on the Presidents!

At first, confronting the Presidents was excellent, but the last chapter made me wonder about the rest of the book.

I’ve been waiting for this type of book for years! There are many things in this book that I wanted to MEMORIZE!!! Until I got to the last chapter, I would have highly recommended this book…

I thought Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard wrote a superb book—until the last chapter!!! They covered the key items of many presidents that helped shape our country. I wanted to listen to it again and again—until the last chapter… Then the last chapter made me wonder about what else was written in the book. Was it true or slanted?

I liked that the book read the footnotes, which were very educational and interesting. Also, the book and footnotes had some interesting trivia that I never heard, such as President John Adams named his dog Satan.

Some other “trivia” that this book covered:

George Washington did not get along with his mother!

John Adams liked to drink alcoholic Cyder with each breakfast. He walked 5 miles each day, usually with his son, future President John Quincy Adams, who also continued this good habit. “Move or die is the language of our Maker in the constitution of our bodies.”

Jefferson led a verbal rebellion against Adams in the press, having James T. Callender write damaging information about Adams, defying Adam’s Alien and Seditions Act. However, when Callender was arrested for this, Jefferson did not help this author out!

Thomas Jefferson was initially hated as the President. He was tall and freckled. He liked to soak his feet in ice water each morning!
Jefferson’s wife Martha died at 33, after having 6 children. He did not marry again.
Jefferson became eccentric in his second term, going to work in a robe and slippers! He also had a mistress, Sally Hemings, also known as “Black Sal,” who bore Jefferson three children!
NOTE: Wikipedia says he had six children with her (although I’m guessing this book is more accurate)… Also, Jefferson freed the surviving children on his death…

Dolly Madison’s favorite ice cream was oyster! She also liked asparagus, parmesan, and chestnut! Yummy!

I would have recommended this book, except for the last chapter I liked how the Robert Petkoff read this book.

Overall comments?
I think this book, with the problems corrected (especially the last chapter), should be taught in every school! Howard Zinn’s factually incorrect book, “A People’s History of the United States,” is taught in some schools (which probably should be outlawed as a teacher’s textbook—although not removed from the school library).

Problems. In one footnote, the authors got one key fact wrong. They stated that Adams and Jefferson were the only President and Vice President that were from different parties. President Lincoln (Republican) and VP Andrew Johnson (Democrat) were from different parties. Johnson went on to screw up America after the Civil War. Would a Republican VP have helped the nation come together sooner, after the Civil War ended? Probably!

Another problem with this book—why aren’t the photos in the book included as a PDF attachment? I really liked going through the book at COSTCO and seeing the photos of the Presidents and their wives!

BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH THIS BOOK—THE LAST CHAPTER!

I did not know Martin Dugard was a liberal until he talked about President Trump. I seemed like Dugard hated Trump and Dugard stated that Trump was the worst president because Trump thought that the election was stolen from him.

Did Dugard ever think that maybe the election was stolen from Trump? Dugard, please watch “2000 Mules,” which clearly shows how the election could have been stolen from Trump! When you see videos of human mules stuffing the ballot boxes with ballots and then taking photos of their illegality, then you realize that the Biden vs Trump election could have been stolen!
Also, Biden was absent as a candidate, campaigning from his basement. How could Biden get more votes than Obama??? I doubt he could have legally.
Also, I never had good explanations of the voting machines going down at 2 am, then coming up again with Biden winning.
Why did the Democrats keep the Republican pole watchers from being able to see what was going on?
I could go on and on, but there is enough to realize that there were major problems with this election.
Also, social media kept the Hunter Biden laptop story hidden from the public—another way the election was fixed for Biden. Read the excellent book, “Laptop from Hell,” to see that there were other things that made this election have problems.

I am upset with Bill O’Reilly for letting Dugard write these poor things about Trump. I think O’Reilly should have tempered Dugard’s slanted opinions, with O’Reilly mentioning some of my explanations of these items to at least show that there may have been election tampering and so Trump had a point.

Also, I did not purchase this book by liberal author Dugard. I bought this book because Bill O’Reilly wrote it! Come on Bill, temper Dugard’s one-sided opinions! Why let Dugard’s liberal bias shine through without explaining the other side? One reading this book would think Trump is a scumbag and the worst president—this is not true by a longshot! Trump did a lot of good. Trump did somethings I did not like, but the worst president ever? Give me a break!

Now Trump is the 47th President! With early voting, Trump won in a landside! Trump got above the cheating threshold! I wonder how Dugard will write the next chapter on Trump, with O'Reilly editing it better!

What a disappointment

This is a sad departure from the other excellent killing books. The authors do not even talk about Trumps presidency, and Martin Dugard actually thanks Joe Biden for his 40 years of service! What? He hasn’t really done much good in those 40 years. Don’t waste your time on this book. It’s ok at best.

Great review of our presidential history

If you’re interested in the history of the US presidents this is a book for you. I enjoyed this book and learned much.

Historical aspect

I thought the book was engaging and well researched. Felt that the authors gave a non biased oratory.

Fun read

Lots of interesting facts I've never heard before. Even with all of the information the book isn't too long.

These men were human and had faults. Some of them a lot.

This book is completely fair. Dugard and O’Reilly are great. It reads easy and keeps you motivated to read more. It makes history fun!

Dugard’s final chapter contribution was a very disappointing departure from impartial treatment of history and facts. Very sad

Dugard is off guard in the final chapter of a 5-star history that declined to 3-stars

Excellent

Another fabulous well researched book ! Very informative, so much I may need to listen again. I loved all the historical facts, Highly recommend.

Excellent read

Well documented facts about our history. I’ve read most of your books and all were good but this was among the best. Thank you for your work gentlemen.

Covered all Presidents in good detail

Really enjoyed. Could have left out thank you joe biden at the end. Kinda disappointed