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The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the veteran political journalist and 60 Minutes correspondent, a deep dive into the history, evolution, and current state of the American presidency, and how we can make the job less impossible and more productive—featuring a new post-2020–election epilogue“This is a great gift to our sense of the actual presidency, a primer on leadership.”—Ken BurnsImagine you have just been elected president. You are now commander-in-chief, chief executive, chief diplomat, chief legislator, chief of party, chief voice of the people, first responder, chief priest, and world leader. You’re expected to fulfill your campaign promises, but you’re also expected to solve the urgent crises of the day. What’s on your to-do list? Where would you even start? What shocks aren’t you thinking about? The American presidency is in trouble. It has become overburdened, misunderstood, almost impossible to do. “The problems in the job unfolded before Donald Trump was elected, and the challenges of governing today will confront his successors,” writes John Dickerson. After all, the founders never intended for our system of checks and balances to have one superior Chief Magistrate, with Congress demoted to “the little brother who can’t keep up.” In this eye-opening book, John Dickerson writes about presidents in history such a Washington, Lincoln, FDR, and Eisenhower, and and in contemporary times, from LBJ and Reagan and Bush, Obama, and Trump, to show how a complex job has been done, and why we need to reevaluate how we view the presidency, how we choose our presidents, and what we expect from them once they are in office. Think of the presidential campaign as a job interview. Are we asking the right questions? Are we looking for good campaigners, or good presidents? Once a candidate gets the job, what can they do to thrive? Drawing on research and interviews with current and former White House staffers, Dickerson defines what the job of president actually entails, identifies the things that only the president can do, and analyzes how presidents in history have managed the burden. What qualities make for a good president? Who did it well? Why did Bill Clinton call the White House “the crown jewel in the American penal system”? The presidency is a job of surprises with high stakes, requiring vision, management skill, and an even temperament. Ultimately, in order to evaluate candidates properly for the job, we need to adjust our expectations, and be more realistic about the goals, the requirements, and the limitations of the office. As Dickerson writes, “Americans need their president to succeed, but the presidency is set up for failure. It doesn’t have to be.”
935 pages, ebook
First published June 16, 2020
About the author
John Dickerson
6 books176 followersJohn Dickerson is a Correspondent for 60 Minutes and CBS News Senior Political analyst. He is also a contributing writer for The Atlantic. He is the former moderator of Face the Nation and Political Director of CBS News as well as a co-host of CBS This Morning. Before writing for The Atlantic, Dickerson was Slate magazine's Chief Political Correspondent. Before that he covered the White House for Time magazine, where he was a correspondent for ten years. Dickerson is a co-host of the Slate Political Gabfest as well as the host of "Whistlestop," a podcast of campaign history.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 224 reviews
July 31, 2020
Did I ever imagine myself staying up late to finish the last 300 pages of a book that is a history/analysis of the US presidency? Not really, but this turned into more of a page-turner than I would have anticipated. I appreciated the level of research that went into this book and the way Dickerson distilled various elements that have contributed to what we consider the necessary elements of the presidency are. I also liked his recommendations for voters regarding how we approach elections, how we consume media, and how our actions have contributed to less-substantive campaigns that don’t necessarily lead to effective presidents. Dickerson is obviously not a fan of Trump, but I found his assessment of past politicians to be non-partisan which I think is helpful in trying objectively evaluate what we need in the executive branch and what we don’t.
July 25, 2020
I was trying to come up with a good reason not to give this five stars and couldn't really think of one that was actually critical, so here we are. I've been doing a lot of presidential reading, and this is far and away the most interesting one I've come across in months. It presents a side and evolution of the job that I had yet to consider and gave me a lot to chew on. It is a 2020 release, so it deals with Trump, but it is one of the few that hasn't made me want to scream because of it. Fair warning that the third (and final) section is Trump-heavy, but for the purposes of analysis so I was fine with it. I do think, though, that this book is not the best audiobook. One of the features that made it most interesting to me was that, though it presents the evolution of the office of the president, it does not necessarily go in chronological order. This made sporadic listening of the audiobook hard sometimes when I forget the point that was being built upon when I last turned it off.
In short, Dickerson presents the evolution of an office that needs to be reimagined, no matter who is in office, and how the mutations of the office have been a part of the casual problems we continue to experience but don't know how to change because it's the "Office of the President" and thus we think its immutable.
In short, Dickerson presents the evolution of an office that needs to be reimagined, no matter who is in office, and how the mutations of the office have been a part of the casual problems we continue to experience but don't know how to change because it's the "Office of the President" and thus we think its immutable.
December 28, 2021
The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency by John Dickerson, the 60 Minutes correspondent, takes a deep dive into the history, evolution, and current state of the American presidency--and how we can make the job less impossible and more productive for the future.
John Dickerson looks at the history of the American presidency and how the office is altogether different than the job we discuss during presidential campaigns. In campaigns, the presidency is a magical place where the will of its occupant can move the nation. In reality, the presidency is stretched, burdened, and unmatched for the complexity of the modern world. The author presents the pluses and minuses of being president of the United States in a fairly non-political fashion.
With both an historical and contemporary view of the presidency, Dickerson explores how and why the office has expanded and how America's obsession with the presidency is at odds with its creation and leads to disappointment. Dickerson also charts Donald Trump's departures from and innovations to the office, developing a picture of where the presidency stands on the eve of the 2020 election and beyond. Armed with an understanding of the office, Dickerson suggests new ways to test candidates, elect presidents thoughtfully, and fix the job so that it more closely can match our expectations.
John Dickerson looks at the history of the American presidency and how the office is altogether different than the job we discuss during presidential campaigns. In campaigns, the presidency is a magical place where the will of its occupant can move the nation. In reality, the presidency is stretched, burdened, and unmatched for the complexity of the modern world. The author presents the pluses and minuses of being president of the United States in a fairly non-political fashion.
With both an historical and contemporary view of the presidency, Dickerson explores how and why the office has expanded and how America's obsession with the presidency is at odds with its creation and leads to disappointment. Dickerson also charts Donald Trump's departures from and innovations to the office, developing a picture of where the presidency stands on the eve of the 2020 election and beyond. Armed with an understanding of the office, Dickerson suggests new ways to test candidates, elect presidents thoughtfully, and fix the job so that it more closely can match our expectations.
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December 3, 2023I cannot stress how important Part I: The Office of the Presidency and the Conclusion are, especially when facing the upcoming 2020 election.
However, there are several instances in which the book feels overly repetitive. Yet on the other hand, it's difficult to capture the entire nature of the executive branch with mainly historic and contemporary anecdotes.
However, there are several instances in which the book feels overly repetitive. Yet on the other hand, it's difficult to capture the entire nature of the executive branch with mainly historic and contemporary anecdotes.
December 28, 2020
Many Insightful Gems, but the Reader has to Mine for Them
As I began reading John Dickerson’s book, it's remarkable how a major and respected television personality found time to be an author. The research is impressive. The organizational structure of the book, however, leaves something to be desired. This is ironic because Dickerson's broadcast presentations are so succinct, clear, and well-crafted.
Dickerson has tried to shape this into a narrative around several major themes but he and his editors (wouldn't someone of his stature have commanded the best editors?) may have been under pressure to publish before the election. (The 450 page text is backed by some 200 pages of footnotes and bibliography.) The reader will gain a number insights and much to think about, but will be frustrated by the lack of a tightly-written and well organized analysis.
As the title and the cover photograph of an overwhelmed Lyndon Johnson indicate, one theme is that the job is too much for any one person and the burden is only getting worse with 24-hour news coverage, social media, and ever-expanding American expectations of our president. Moreover, the presidency is a unique challenge for which no one has sufficient experience, public or private, to be prepared to assume a unique office. Every president knows how to get elected, but not every president knows how to govern.
The author quotes Woodrow Wilson, who said he was “jolted along the disappointing road in which hope is replaced by experience.”
Early in the book Dickerson introduces a four quadrant grid, attributed to Eisenhower, about how a president should allocate his or her scarcest resource — time. The horizontal axis divides an item’s urgency (urgent, non-urgent), and the vertical axis divides issues between important and non-important. Ideally a president should focus on the important. Dealing with urgent and important is a no-brainer, but leaving time for the important but not urgent is a challenge. And the unimportant keeps intruding upon a president’s day.
Restraint is one of the most important and least appreciated presidential qualities, Dickerson argues. He cites George H.W. Bush’s restraint when the Berlin Wall came down. The temptation to take credit for this must have been enormous, but Bush realized that Gorbachev’s hold on power was tenuous and that hard liners in the Kremlin could use the appearance of US involvement to send in troops and re-establish an Iron Curtain. Similarly Kennedy in the Cuban Missile Crisis restrained military advisors from actions that could have led to nuclear war.
Other points: In office, 85% to 90% of a president’s time is spent on foreign policy whereas it is about 5% of the discussion during a campaign. The presidency has usurped more and more of the power once held by the legislative branch. It is harder for senators to break with their own party and in recent years it has been political suicide to reach across the aisle. The president’s appointment power has become more important than legislation.
Trump supporters will find much to dislike about Dickerson’s analysis.
Trump’s presidency, says the author, is transactional rather than being guided by the standards of human rights, individual freedom, and democracy. “Trump likes to be fact checked because the additional coverage from the controversy publicizes the original lie.” There is a difference, says Dickerson, between being unconventional and untethered.
Although Dickerson makes some effort to tip his hat to the achievements prized by Trump’s supporters (reduced regulation, appointment of conservative judges, tax cuts), he says this has been done more often through executive orders or appointment powers rather than by traditional legislative leadership. The Trump administration, says the author, has a record in which the president and his appointees have engaged in self-dealing for personal enrichment, of military operations that cause casualties without a clear and sustained objective, of children in cages, of food stamp reduction, and of environmental damage. Trump’s trade policies, argues Dickerson, have hurt US manufacturing, his tariffs are a tax on American consumers, and his farm bailouts following the trade war with China are twice the size of the 2008 auto bailout. The Covid crisis, which began as the book went to press, is unaddressed.
At the outset, Dickerson challenges us to think about how the office of the president might be redefined so that it can be held by ordinary mortals. But at the end of the book, Dickerson lists 18 attributes required by anyone winning the presidency. This “throw in the kitchen sink” approach is illustrative of the weakness of this book — a laundry list rather than a tightly written analysis. There are a number of interesting observations about the presidency, but it will be up to the reader to consider how pragmatically to restructure the office.
As I began reading John Dickerson’s book, it's remarkable how a major and respected television personality found time to be an author. The research is impressive. The organizational structure of the book, however, leaves something to be desired. This is ironic because Dickerson's broadcast presentations are so succinct, clear, and well-crafted.
Dickerson has tried to shape this into a narrative around several major themes but he and his editors (wouldn't someone of his stature have commanded the best editors?) may have been under pressure to publish before the election. (The 450 page text is backed by some 200 pages of footnotes and bibliography.) The reader will gain a number insights and much to think about, but will be frustrated by the lack of a tightly-written and well organized analysis.
As the title and the cover photograph of an overwhelmed Lyndon Johnson indicate, one theme is that the job is too much for any one person and the burden is only getting worse with 24-hour news coverage, social media, and ever-expanding American expectations of our president. Moreover, the presidency is a unique challenge for which no one has sufficient experience, public or private, to be prepared to assume a unique office. Every president knows how to get elected, but not every president knows how to govern.
The author quotes Woodrow Wilson, who said he was “jolted along the disappointing road in which hope is replaced by experience.”
Early in the book Dickerson introduces a four quadrant grid, attributed to Eisenhower, about how a president should allocate his or her scarcest resource — time. The horizontal axis divides an item’s urgency (urgent, non-urgent), and the vertical axis divides issues between important and non-important. Ideally a president should focus on the important. Dealing with urgent and important is a no-brainer, but leaving time for the important but not urgent is a challenge. And the unimportant keeps intruding upon a president’s day.
Restraint is one of the most important and least appreciated presidential qualities, Dickerson argues. He cites George H.W. Bush’s restraint when the Berlin Wall came down. The temptation to take credit for this must have been enormous, but Bush realized that Gorbachev’s hold on power was tenuous and that hard liners in the Kremlin could use the appearance of US involvement to send in troops and re-establish an Iron Curtain. Similarly Kennedy in the Cuban Missile Crisis restrained military advisors from actions that could have led to nuclear war.
Other points: In office, 85% to 90% of a president’s time is spent on foreign policy whereas it is about 5% of the discussion during a campaign. The presidency has usurped more and more of the power once held by the legislative branch. It is harder for senators to break with their own party and in recent years it has been political suicide to reach across the aisle. The president’s appointment power has become more important than legislation.
Trump supporters will find much to dislike about Dickerson’s analysis.
Trump’s presidency, says the author, is transactional rather than being guided by the standards of human rights, individual freedom, and democracy. “Trump likes to be fact checked because the additional coverage from the controversy publicizes the original lie.” There is a difference, says Dickerson, between being unconventional and untethered.
Although Dickerson makes some effort to tip his hat to the achievements prized by Trump’s supporters (reduced regulation, appointment of conservative judges, tax cuts), he says this has been done more often through executive orders or appointment powers rather than by traditional legislative leadership. The Trump administration, says the author, has a record in which the president and his appointees have engaged in self-dealing for personal enrichment, of military operations that cause casualties without a clear and sustained objective, of children in cages, of food stamp reduction, and of environmental damage. Trump’s trade policies, argues Dickerson, have hurt US manufacturing, his tariffs are a tax on American consumers, and his farm bailouts following the trade war with China are twice the size of the 2008 auto bailout. The Covid crisis, which began as the book went to press, is unaddressed.
At the outset, Dickerson challenges us to think about how the office of the president might be redefined so that it can be held by ordinary mortals. But at the end of the book, Dickerson lists 18 attributes required by anyone winning the presidency. This “throw in the kitchen sink” approach is illustrative of the weakness of this book — a laundry list rather than a tightly written analysis. There are a number of interesting observations about the presidency, but it will be up to the reader to consider how pragmatically to restructure the office.
June 7, 2020
Writing a book on the office of the president incorporating the current presidency within the historical context is quite a task. John Dickerson's "The Hardest Job in the World" tackles three major components: the responsibilities of the president once s/he is in office, the campaigning to get elected to the presidency, and the world of the presidency in its current state. There is a lot of ground to cover in this book. Dickerson begins by describing historically what the office of president has stood for, in that it is so often based on tradition, customs, and the large deference to the office by those who hold it and the public. He gives a historical take on how the office has changed, focusing primarily on the 20th century presidents, but then giving context on how it has changed significantly with the Trump presidency.
One theme that Dickerson returns back to frequently in the book to give context on the president's job is the four quadrant matrix that Eisenhower used to help prioritize tasks. Is it urgent/important? It must be done immediately. It is not urgent/important? Schedule a time to do it. Is it urgent, but not important? Delegate. If it's not urgent and not important, don't do it.
Because there is no much to cover in this book, the focus is a somewhat diffuse, and there is not always a logical flow between chapters/topics. Some area that are explored could (and have) been their own books (e.g., role of chief of staff, how the relationship with Congress has changed, the relationship with the press). The first third of the book that delves into the responsibilities of the president is the most interesting, and provides the best historical context on how the position has changed through the years. What is unfortunate (no fault to Dickerson), is that in the time of Trump, so many of these gradual changes in the position have sped forward leaps and bounds, lessening the interesting view on how the position had slowly been changing. Trump's actions as president have thrown a wrench a bit into this. The second part of the book focuses on the presidential campaign, which the big takeaway being you cannot president as you campaign. Dickerson wrote a wonderful book about campaign stories (Whistlestop) that is a much more enjoyable take on this step to the presidency.
The final section of the book is about how the presidency currently is in the Trump presidency. This took away from the overall historical role of the job that Dickerson spent so much time on in the first section. It would be curious to have read this book either prior to the Trump presidency, or post-presidency. In its current state, with moving pieces (e.g., the strong state of the economy discussed in the book has now been decimated by COVID-19), it is hard to provide final context. Will this presidency be an anomaly? Or has it moved the role of the president in a way that it will never be the same?
Dickerson ends the book with attributes that a president moving forward should have, which, bless his heart. We shall see.
Thank you to Random House via NetGalley for this opportunity to review the ebook.
One theme that Dickerson returns back to frequently in the book to give context on the president's job is the four quadrant matrix that Eisenhower used to help prioritize tasks. Is it urgent/important? It must be done immediately. It is not urgent/important? Schedule a time to do it. Is it urgent, but not important? Delegate. If it's not urgent and not important, don't do it.
Because there is no much to cover in this book, the focus is a somewhat diffuse, and there is not always a logical flow between chapters/topics. Some area that are explored could (and have) been their own books (e.g., role of chief of staff, how the relationship with Congress has changed, the relationship with the press). The first third of the book that delves into the responsibilities of the president is the most interesting, and provides the best historical context on how the position has changed through the years. What is unfortunate (no fault to Dickerson), is that in the time of Trump, so many of these gradual changes in the position have sped forward leaps and bounds, lessening the interesting view on how the position had slowly been changing. Trump's actions as president have thrown a wrench a bit into this. The second part of the book focuses on the presidential campaign, which the big takeaway being you cannot president as you campaign. Dickerson wrote a wonderful book about campaign stories (Whistlestop) that is a much more enjoyable take on this step to the presidency.
The final section of the book is about how the presidency currently is in the Trump presidency. This took away from the overall historical role of the job that Dickerson spent so much time on in the first section. It would be curious to have read this book either prior to the Trump presidency, or post-presidency. In its current state, with moving pieces (e.g., the strong state of the economy discussed in the book has now been decimated by COVID-19), it is hard to provide final context. Will this presidency be an anomaly? Or has it moved the role of the president in a way that it will never be the same?
Dickerson ends the book with attributes that a president moving forward should have, which, bless his heart. We shall see.
Thank you to Random House via NetGalley for this opportunity to review the ebook.
August 4, 2020
This sobering and erudite book should be required reading for every citizen before they step into the ballot box. In its pages, Dickerson painstakingly outlines how difficult the job of president has become since the Framers created the position. In depth research, countless interviews with government officials, and historians grandly illustrate how lobbyists, cable news, and partisanship have taken an already difficult job and made it nearly impossible in the modern era. In Dickerson's words, anyone running for the office is basically doing so to put themselves in a no win situation for four or eight years. The material is straight down the middle of the road and Dickerson's "Just the facts" approach combined with his sense of humor makes this read truly refreshing. A must for historians and political junkies.
October 10, 2020
Deeply interesting and impeccably researched, this is a must-read for anyone who cares about politics, political science, and/or the institution of the U.S. Presidency. At times, this was a bit more long-winded than it needed to be (hence my deduction of a star), but overall an enjoyable and fascinating read.
November 2, 2020
A great read leading up to the election. Really interesting to see how much our expectation of the president has changed (and not for the best) throughout our country's history. Our focus and efforts should go back to being much larger than one person.
My biggest takeaway though is that the founding fathers knew the presidency required morality, restraint, and respect for the office. When those things are missing, well...
My biggest takeaway though is that the founding fathers knew the presidency required morality, restraint, and respect for the office. When those things are missing, well...
September 15, 2020
Presidential history is my jam and John Dickerson is one of the best at bringing it to life in an accessible and enjoyable way. I would have thoroughly enjoyed this book had it been written 5 years ago or 5 years in the future for the fascinating and eye-opening revelations. But, as I sit here 49 days before the most consequential election of my lifetime, I will be recommending this one as both an excellent read and a mandatory one. Too many people approach voting for the President as a popularity contest and our democracy is suffering. If everyone knew the historical knowledge and thoughtfulness needed to do this job, our country would be better for it. I highly recommend the audiobook, which Dickerson narrates, because his passion for the subject really shines through.
April 12, 2020
An informative exploration of the office of the president and it actually means to perform ones duties as the President of the United States of America. The author mostly ignores political preferences and discern the nuances expected and needed to be an effective president. Numerous examples are cited to provide evidence for the reader, and every facet of the office is examined. I am curious to see how some of the proclamations in this book evolve through our next few presidential elections.
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
August 6, 2020
This book had a fantastic beginning and even middle but I was disappointed with the last section. I know the author wrote this book over a long period and I loved his depth of knowledge about presidential history. I think it is a book well worth reading and I wish it had come out earlier so all voters could read it and think about what this job of U. S. President requires and what we as voters must consider when we make our choice.
August 3, 2020
Very interesting and timely, though sometimes a bit redundant. The suggestions for strengthening the presidency in the last chapter are good because they remind us that the real need for change is not in the office of the presidency itself, but in the criteria we voters use to make our choices.
August 26, 2024
“The American presidency is in trouble,” John Dickerson opens The Hardest Job in the World. The office of President of the United States is, as he adds, “overburdened, misunderstood, an almost impossible job to do.” In reading through the hefty volume that followed, it’s hard not to agree with Dickerson’s conclusion and, perhaps, rethink how we view the presidency.
Dickerson’s book is a multi-faceted approach to exploring the presidency and how it’s become the troublesome office that it has become. Part of that is exploring the history of the presidency and some of the 45 men who (at the time it was written) occupy it. In exploring the actions, personalities, and management styles of presidents as wide-ranging as Lincoln, Harding, Kennedy, Carter, Reagan, and Trump, the evolution of the office as a something of a constitutional compromise built around George Washington into the modern institution that’s become the focal point for power in Washington is brought into sharp focus. A history that sees the office adapt to crisis, technology, and changing social norms while also struggling to adapt and being reshaped for better and worse.
Nor is Dickerson keen to assign praise or blame in a partisan fashion. Both parties use (or misuse) of the office is examined. There is Kennedy’s use of television and Johnson’s using his congressional experience to begin Congress down the path of activating more authority to the Chief Executive, how Reagan and Tip O’Neill’s willingness to work together led to an eventual Republican revolt by congressional Republicans under their successors, and Reagan launching the Republican reliance on image over reality. Nor is the blame limited to those in Washington, with the media obsession with scandal in the wake of Vietnam and Watergate plus the need to fill the 24 hour news cycle with increasingly new content adding to both news over-saturation, a focus on campaigning over policy, and an erosion of what the voting public considered “unpresidential” behavior. Pop culture plays a role too, from the novels of Tom Clancy to TV series such as The West Wing presenting a mythic image of presidential power and the apparent ease of changing policy and its consequences. Things large and small that build up a sense of what the occupant of the Oval Office can accomplish that sets almost anyone up for failure, especially in the modern era.
Indeed, it gave birth to the events of the last decade. With them, the shadow that falls over much of the book, particularly coming into focus in its concluding chapters. It’s one of the many facets of Dickerson’s book, with history going a long way to explaining how American voters reached the moment they did in November 2016 and beyond. There’s admittedly not much praise to be found here for that presidency with its chaos and handling of events, but there is a lot that explains how it came to be. Or why, despite the potential promise of a chance for an outsider to take on “the swamp” to change things as Dickerson explores in a counterfactual scenario that takes up much of a chapter, it wasn’t meant to be.
Fixing it won’t be easy, as Dickerson admits. But not impossible, as the events that have taken place across recent weeks in the summer of 2024 around the time I read the book, suggest. From the chaos, Dickerson argues, is another chance for change and an opportunity to look at the presidency and how it has become “overburdened, misunderstood,” and “an almost impossible job.” One that lives up to the book’s title and, one hopes, the best hopes and aspirations of the country that birthed it.
Dickerson’s book is a multi-faceted approach to exploring the presidency and how it’s become the troublesome office that it has become. Part of that is exploring the history of the presidency and some of the 45 men who (at the time it was written) occupy it. In exploring the actions, personalities, and management styles of presidents as wide-ranging as Lincoln, Harding, Kennedy, Carter, Reagan, and Trump, the evolution of the office as a something of a constitutional compromise built around George Washington into the modern institution that’s become the focal point for power in Washington is brought into sharp focus. A history that sees the office adapt to crisis, technology, and changing social norms while also struggling to adapt and being reshaped for better and worse.
Nor is Dickerson keen to assign praise or blame in a partisan fashion. Both parties use (or misuse) of the office is examined. There is Kennedy’s use of television and Johnson’s using his congressional experience to begin Congress down the path of activating more authority to the Chief Executive, how Reagan and Tip O’Neill’s willingness to work together led to an eventual Republican revolt by congressional Republicans under their successors, and Reagan launching the Republican reliance on image over reality. Nor is the blame limited to those in Washington, with the media obsession with scandal in the wake of Vietnam and Watergate plus the need to fill the 24 hour news cycle with increasingly new content adding to both news over-saturation, a focus on campaigning over policy, and an erosion of what the voting public considered “unpresidential” behavior. Pop culture plays a role too, from the novels of Tom Clancy to TV series such as The West Wing presenting a mythic image of presidential power and the apparent ease of changing policy and its consequences. Things large and small that build up a sense of what the occupant of the Oval Office can accomplish that sets almost anyone up for failure, especially in the modern era.
Indeed, it gave birth to the events of the last decade. With them, the shadow that falls over much of the book, particularly coming into focus in its concluding chapters. It’s one of the many facets of Dickerson’s book, with history going a long way to explaining how American voters reached the moment they did in November 2016 and beyond. There’s admittedly not much praise to be found here for that presidency with its chaos and handling of events, but there is a lot that explains how it came to be. Or why, despite the potential promise of a chance for an outsider to take on “the swamp” to change things as Dickerson explores in a counterfactual scenario that takes up much of a chapter, it wasn’t meant to be.
Fixing it won’t be easy, as Dickerson admits. But not impossible, as the events that have taken place across recent weeks in the summer of 2024 around the time I read the book, suggest. From the chaos, Dickerson argues, is another chance for change and an opportunity to look at the presidency and how it has become “overburdened, misunderstood,” and “an almost impossible job.” One that lives up to the book’s title and, one hopes, the best hopes and aspirations of the country that birthed it.
August 9, 2020
Let’s say you’re looking through the want ads for a job, and you see the following: “one applicant needed for most powerful position in the free world. Must have ability to communicate well, work well with others, and be fine with being blamed as much for things you don’t have any say on as well as being praised for things that might go well. Also, your work review will be chaired by a majority of Americans every four years. Perks include: being in the spotlight 24/7, your own room and board, and chance to go down in history. Potential downsides include: being in the spotlight 24/7 and chance to go down in history.” Would you apply?
“The Toughest Job In the World: The American Presidency,” the new book by “60 Minutes” correspsondent John Dickerson, takes a look at the most powerful job in the world with a mixture of serious introspection and refreshing wit to show how the job of leading the free world actually works. Forget all the campaign promises you hear; presidents have to work with the other side of the aisle or risk being an “executive order president.” They have to know when to act but perhaps, more importantly, when to stay still. They have to be ahead of the American public in certain issues but also court their base when the polls start opening up. It’s an exhausting job, but for the forty-five men so far who’ve held the post, it has proven to be a potential pathway to historical greatness.
Dickerson breaks up his book in three sections, dealing first with the actual, everyday concerns of the job (including national security, which he argues is the paramount concern of any sitting president), second with the open campaigning for the job (where the days of sitting on your front porch and letting voters or party leaders come to you are a thing of the past), and finally the moment that we are in now, with Donald Trump holding the highest office in the land. Whatever your view of the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Trump has certainly left an imprint on the office that his successors will have to deal with, as Dickerson points out. The traditional norms of the highest position in America have been violated on almost a daily basis, but as Dickerson shows throughout his book, those norms weren’t always agreed upon nor did they always serve every American equally. Dickerson, writing before the spread of COVID-19 and the demands for racial justice in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, suggests that some presidential norms that Trump has abused might be best left in the past for a more inclusive, more representative form of leadership.
For such a heavy subject, this book is often funny enough (and some of the chapters short enough) to make this a really fun, entertaining read. Presidenting is hard, and not everyone profiled in this book comes out looking nearly as good (or as bad) as their historical reputation might suggest. But Dickerson, who’s long covered presidential races and turmoil in D.C., knows that whoever wins the election this year will need to think long and hard about what being a modern president means, what can be done and what needs to be left on the scrap heap of unfulfilled campaign promises like “no new taxes” or “Mexico will pay for the wall.” Because there’s a world of difference between applying for the job and actually having the job.
“The Toughest Job In the World: The American Presidency,” the new book by “60 Minutes” correspsondent John Dickerson, takes a look at the most powerful job in the world with a mixture of serious introspection and refreshing wit to show how the job of leading the free world actually works. Forget all the campaign promises you hear; presidents have to work with the other side of the aisle or risk being an “executive order president.” They have to know when to act but perhaps, more importantly, when to stay still. They have to be ahead of the American public in certain issues but also court their base when the polls start opening up. It’s an exhausting job, but for the forty-five men so far who’ve held the post, it has proven to be a potential pathway to historical greatness.
Dickerson breaks up his book in three sections, dealing first with the actual, everyday concerns of the job (including national security, which he argues is the paramount concern of any sitting president), second with the open campaigning for the job (where the days of sitting on your front porch and letting voters or party leaders come to you are a thing of the past), and finally the moment that we are in now, with Donald Trump holding the highest office in the land. Whatever your view of the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Trump has certainly left an imprint on the office that his successors will have to deal with, as Dickerson points out. The traditional norms of the highest position in America have been violated on almost a daily basis, but as Dickerson shows throughout his book, those norms weren’t always agreed upon nor did they always serve every American equally. Dickerson, writing before the spread of COVID-19 and the demands for racial justice in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, suggests that some presidential norms that Trump has abused might be best left in the past for a more inclusive, more representative form of leadership.
For such a heavy subject, this book is often funny enough (and some of the chapters short enough) to make this a really fun, entertaining read. Presidenting is hard, and not everyone profiled in this book comes out looking nearly as good (or as bad) as their historical reputation might suggest. But Dickerson, who’s long covered presidential races and turmoil in D.C., knows that whoever wins the election this year will need to think long and hard about what being a modern president means, what can be done and what needs to be left on the scrap heap of unfulfilled campaign promises like “no new taxes” or “Mexico will pay for the wall.” Because there’s a world of difference between applying for the job and actually having the job.
July 17, 2020
TL;DR version of this review: An enjoyable read that gives readers a good book for understanding the presidency, and the leadership qualities shown by previous office holders, but gets a bit too bogged down in describing how unconventional Trump’s presidency in it’s final 3rd.
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Full review:
After Trump was elected, I’d been talking with others about wanting a book like this one that would help to contextualize the US Presidency during a time in which it seems like the definitions of the office continue to be formed by pundits and the opinion classes. That said, I think that this book meets that goal. Dickerson breaks his book up into manageable and understandable chunks that are easy to get through while bringing in a good amount of history and a little bit of scholarship towards understanding the role that the president has played in US history, how the founders of the country intended for the office to be carried out, and also how power was meant to be transferred from one administration to the next.
Dickerson’s book also plays double duty as a book on the presidency and on the qualities and aspects of leadership as a whole. He argues throughout the book that the president is largely a management position, in which the holder of the office is tasked largely with building a team who can cohesively carry out what can largely be called the president’s “vision”. That said, there are a lot of takeaways from Dickerson on the leadership styles of particular presidents, including Washington, Kennedy, Reagan, and Eisenhower, among others.
Dickerson also argues for much of the book the incongruity embodied in the way that we choose presidents compared to what they actually have to do. He does a good amount of reflecting on the ways in which the current media ecosystem doesn’t help, largely treating the campaigns as a horse race, and amplifying the most entertaining aspects of the campaigns that have little to nothing to do with how the person being considered would actually LEAD the country. However, I would think that Dickerson is largely preaching to the choir on this one.
Lastly, as a creature and practitioner of news media, Dickerson spends an inordinate amount of time in the book highlighting the issues that are evident within the current presidency. This didn’t surprise me, as it probably would help to sell more books, but it got really onerous when I found not only Trump comparisons sprinkled through the text, but also what seemed a whole section on it. This could be evidence of my own exhaustion with this administration, but I really think it could have been edited down a bit.
All that said however, it would certainly recommend the book for those attempting to understand the US presidency in this current time. It’s nowhere near comprehensive, but is a good start.
———
Full review:
After Trump was elected, I’d been talking with others about wanting a book like this one that would help to contextualize the US Presidency during a time in which it seems like the definitions of the office continue to be formed by pundits and the opinion classes. That said, I think that this book meets that goal. Dickerson breaks his book up into manageable and understandable chunks that are easy to get through while bringing in a good amount of history and a little bit of scholarship towards understanding the role that the president has played in US history, how the founders of the country intended for the office to be carried out, and also how power was meant to be transferred from one administration to the next.
Dickerson’s book also plays double duty as a book on the presidency and on the qualities and aspects of leadership as a whole. He argues throughout the book that the president is largely a management position, in which the holder of the office is tasked largely with building a team who can cohesively carry out what can largely be called the president’s “vision”. That said, there are a lot of takeaways from Dickerson on the leadership styles of particular presidents, including Washington, Kennedy, Reagan, and Eisenhower, among others.
Dickerson also argues for much of the book the incongruity embodied in the way that we choose presidents compared to what they actually have to do. He does a good amount of reflecting on the ways in which the current media ecosystem doesn’t help, largely treating the campaigns as a horse race, and amplifying the most entertaining aspects of the campaigns that have little to nothing to do with how the person being considered would actually LEAD the country. However, I would think that Dickerson is largely preaching to the choir on this one.
Lastly, as a creature and practitioner of news media, Dickerson spends an inordinate amount of time in the book highlighting the issues that are evident within the current presidency. This didn’t surprise me, as it probably would help to sell more books, but it got really onerous when I found not only Trump comparisons sprinkled through the text, but also what seemed a whole section on it. This could be evidence of my own exhaustion with this administration, but I really think it could have been edited down a bit.
All that said however, it would certainly recommend the book for those attempting to understand the US presidency in this current time. It’s nowhere near comprehensive, but is a good start.
January 9, 2023
This book should be required reading for all high school seniors and those about to be of voting age.
While author admits that there is much more to the current standing of American government than what lies in this book, John Dickerson lays out in plain language what every American should take into consideration when deciding on the next President.
This is not a book to blow through. It should be read carefully and chewed on. I wholeheartedly believe the future will look back on The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency as one of the catalysts of political change in America.
Still not convinced? This is the only book I have ever left a review for. I think that strongly about it.
While author admits that there is much more to the current standing of American government than what lies in this book, John Dickerson lays out in plain language what every American should take into consideration when deciding on the next President.
This is not a book to blow through. It should be read carefully and chewed on. I wholeheartedly believe the future will look back on The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency as one of the catalysts of political change in America.
Still not convinced? This is the only book I have ever left a review for. I think that strongly about it.
January 5, 2023
I was skeptical of this book when I started but I came to love it. I think it perfectly captures the realistic situation of Washington and the struggles, both fairly and unfairly, of the job the president is tasked with. While this book is clearly a response to the harsh awakening of the Trump presidency, but Dickerson (who is extremely critical of Trump) also paints at one point the most accurate description of why most Republicans still think Trump was successful as a president in a way that was revelatory for me. Very thoughtful and a fun read.
June 18, 2021
I throughly enjoyed the book. I need to spend some time to reflect on what I’ve read before I attempt a decent review. I would, however, recommend the book to anyone interested in our democracy. An interesting read.
July 6, 2020
The book The Hardest Job in the World tells the history of how the role of the presidency has changed throughout its history and how the job has become much more powerful than the Founding Fathers intended. Dickerson describes how different elements of the job description of the president developed over time. The book largely stays away from partisan critiques of past presidents - recent presidents from both parties both receive credit and blame for their decisions. While I agree with the ideas presented in this book for how to improve the role of the presidency, I think it is still a bit too idealistic. I could see this book be used effectively in a class on government/ethics to teach about the roles of the various branches of government.
I received a free copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received a free copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 2, 2020
This is quite good, particularly since the author tries to be objective and not give preference to one party. I think this is a unique idea -- bringing together presidential info in this way. The perspective here will likely change with time, but for now it's an interesting take on the challenges and perspectives of the office. Recommended.
It might be interesting to read this along with The Gatekeepers by Chris Whipple (perspectives from the White House Chief of Staffs). I also hope the author does an updated version in 2030 or so.
I really appreciate the ARC for review!!
It might be interesting to read this along with The Gatekeepers by Chris Whipple (perspectives from the White House Chief of Staffs). I also hope the author does an updated version in 2030 or so.
I really appreciate the ARC for review!!
August 15, 2020
I wished the book would have included less contemporaneous Trump history (aren’t we all aware and fatigued?) and Trump critique (a whole section devoted to a counter-factual Trump presidency), but Dickerson is a master of presidential narratives. The LBJ quote about the presidency is shocking but true: “The office is kinda like the little country boy found a hoochie-coochie show at the carnival, once he’d paid his dime and got inside the tent: It ain’t exactly as it was advertised.” There’s not quite a job like president of the United States. The concluding prescription for reform of the office is fascinating even if fantastical.
June 15, 2020
I have to give the author and A for effort. He tried to bring the historical context of the American Presidency into a type of review. How one campaigns to be president, how one changes once you become president and see the actual responsibilities, and the current state of the presidency.
I enjoyed reading this, but I think that the immense nature of the subject matter is way to complex to describe in a single book. It is just to difficult to distill down this much.
I enjoyed reading this, but I think that the immense nature of the subject matter is way to complex to describe in a single book. It is just to difficult to distill down this much.
May 13, 2021
Filled with fascinating and little-known(to the common American) factoids about the life of the POTUS. Truly this position is enormous. Much respect from me to our presidents.
There did seem to be a definite bias against one specific president, to the point that it seemed to be one of the major purposes of the the book. I found this to be more than a little frustrating since it had very little to do with the pre-described premise.
There did seem to be a definite bias against one specific president, to the point that it seemed to be one of the major purposes of the the book. I found this to be more than a little frustrating since it had very little to do with the pre-described premise.
August 29, 2020
I feel like I know a pretty good amount about politics, but this deep dive into the Presidency was enlightening, educational, and frustrating... and it helped me think soberly about the office and what we should realistically expect from it.
Included lots of good research, interviews, and wonderful quotes
Included lots of good research, interviews, and wonderful quotes
July 15, 2020
I love John Dickerson...and I'm straight. He has a way of describing complex issues in a way that us 'common folk' can relate. With Dickerson narrating his own book, I loved parts where the humor he had written made him laugh or comically inflect his voice towards his own humor.
November 23, 2020
I listen to John on the Slate Political Gabfest and heard about his book. I was really excited to read it and I am beyond happy that I did. Interesting, insightful and full of gathered, smart analysis on the presidency as an institution and instrument of change. Great book, I learned a lot!
January 17, 2021
This book changed the way I think about the presidency. Dickerson does a great job of convincing you that the job of the presidency has swelled to out-of-control size, essentially guaranteeing that every modern president will fail in more than one way. Presidents are expected to manage hundreds of thousands of employees, be responsible for literally any crisis that occurs in the US, and manage an inherited and deeply complex foreign policy. This book also did a good job convincing me that we should look at campaigning differently--campaigning often doesn't just rely on different skills than governing, it almost demands the exact opposite skills. We should prioritize problem-solving, nuance, foreign policy knowledge, and Washington experience before flashiness, quick answers, and extensive policy papers.
However, the book feels a little bit disorganized. It's more a collection of anecdotes and opinions from Dickerson than it is a carefully laid out historical narrative. That's ok, but expect it going in. Recommended for history/trivia nerds, and anyone curious about what it might feel like to be president.
However, the book feels a little bit disorganized. It's more a collection of anecdotes and opinions from Dickerson than it is a carefully laid out historical narrative. That's ok, but expect it going in. Recommended for history/trivia nerds, and anyone curious about what it might feel like to be president.
December 8, 2022
An interesting analysis of the expansion of the role of the president. Dickerson takes the reader through the enlargement of the expectations of the presidency especially after the position-changing tenure of FDR. He tracks how the increasing media attention has made the public demand more of the president, particularly, more than what the founders intended for the job. He also pays attention to the differing talents needed to campaign for office and to actually govern, paying particular attention to the team building needed to effectively govern. While Dickerson stays mostly focused on the history of the office, I couldn’t help but feel that the last section was too focused on Trump, belaboring the same point of his inadequacy yet not moving on. Nonetheless, the book was an interesting exploration of how the founders looked at the office of the presidency and the value of trying to chart a course back to those limits and more realistic expectations.
July 17, 2020
Refreshingly perceptive collection of thoughts on what the U.S presidency has become in the past decade or two. This book is further evidence that the author, John Dickerson, is an increasingly rare kind of journalist with a deeply curious and historically informed mind.
Where this book succeeds compared with books of similar nature is the genuine attempt to engage directly with arguments on from each side, admit faults, in-depth knowledge of presidential campaigns, and a realistic understanding of how things get done.
The title is a bit misleading, though previous presidents are mentioned often this book isn't so much about "The Presidency" as about how the target audience can think beyond the current situation and Trump in how to restore the perceived loss of respect for the office by improving the selection process.
The technological changes to our society, though not always stated specifically, permeate this book.
Where this book succeeds compared with books of similar nature is the genuine attempt to engage directly with arguments on from each side, admit faults, in-depth knowledge of presidential campaigns, and a realistic understanding of how things get done.
The title is a bit misleading, though previous presidents are mentioned often this book isn't so much about "The Presidency" as about how the target audience can think beyond the current situation and Trump in how to restore the perceived loss of respect for the office by improving the selection process.
The technological changes to our society, though not always stated specifically, permeate this book.
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