Welcome to “The Past, The Promise, the Presidency,” a podcast about the role of the presidency in American life. This week’s episode features veteran political reporter Susan Page, who will be giving a book talk on Wednesday, April 29th, at 6 pm in SMU’s McCord Auditorium (Dallas Hall 306). Susan’s most recent book, The Queen and Her Presidents: The Hidden Hand That Shaped History, chronicles the largely unknown story of Queen Elizabeth II’s relationship with thirteen American presidents, from Harry S. Truman to Donald J. Trump. Susan is interviewed by CPH student research assistant Kennedy Moore.

Susan Page is the award-winning Washington bureau chief of USA Today, where she writes about politics and the White House. She has covered eight White House administrations and twelve presidential elections. She has interviewed the past ten presidents and reported from six continents and dozens of foreign countries. Her previous bestselling books are The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty; Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power; and The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters.

Kennedy Moore is a junior at SMU, double majoring in public policy and music with a minor in public policy and international affairs. Kennedy is a President's Scholar, Pre-law Scholar, and Meadows Scholar. At SMU, Kennedy is involved in Hegi Board Fellows, Meadows Chorale, the Tower Center's premier undergraduate research journal The Dialogue, and works at SMU's Center for Presidential History. Kennedy is interested in educational equity and national defense. She aspires to work for a federal agency to research and create policies to protect our education system and recenter citizens' voices in policy.