Whistlestop: Presidential History and Trivia

By Slate Podcasts

What's Whistlestop: Presidential History and Trivia about?

John Dickerson of Slate’s Political Gabfest revisits a moment from the American carnival of politics. Hear about the grand speeches, emergency strategies, baby kissing, and backstabbing that make each presidential cycle so fascinating.

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Whistlestop: Presidential History and Trivia episodes:

08.28.2019
The Presidency as a Consumer Experience (Part 2)
This episode of Whistlestop travels to October 19, 2016 as Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio, the defeated GOP aspirant for the presidency, is asking his party not to play by the modern rules of politics. Whistlestop is Slate’s podcast about presidential...
06.06.2019
The Presidency as a Consumer Experience (Part 1)
This episode of Whistlestop travels to October 12, 2012 when Democratic candidate Barack Obama was declared the loser at the first Presidential debate against Mitt Romney and Twitter won. Whistlestop is Slate’s podcast about presidential history. Hosted by Political Gabfest host...
05.23.2019
Avoiding A Great Re-Recession
This episode of Whistlestop travels to March 12, 2008 as President George W. Bush goes over the text of his speech to address the financial crisis in the housing market and Treasury Secretary Paulson makes a warning that becomes an...
04.18.2019
Introducing Charged: A True Punishment Story
For two and a half years, Emily Bazelon has been following people through a special court in New York designed to be a speedy machine for the harsh punishment of illegal gun possession. Along the way, a strange thing happened...
03.27.2019
The Making of the American Presidency (Part 4)
This episode of Whistlestop travels to December 23, 1783 when the commander in chief of the Continental Army sat before the president of the Confederation Congress and prepared to step away from the job. Whistlestop is Slate’s podcast about presidential...
03.13.2019
The Making of the American Presidency (Part 3)
This episode of Whistlestop travels to March 4, 2019 when Senator Rand Paul quoted from Montesquieu on Twitter: “When the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person or in the same body of magistrates, there can be...
02.27.2019
The Making of the American Presidency (Part 2)
This episode of Whistlestop travels to June 1st, 1787 when America’s founders faced a challenge: the nation couldn’t depend on the good will of the states to keep itself unified but there wasn’t a mandate for new rules to be...
02.14.2019
The Making of the American Presidency (Part 1)
This episode of Whistlestop travels to the spring of 1787 when fifty-five men of property and elite status argued in Philadelphia at the Constitutional Convention for what President John Adams called "the greatest single effort of national deliberation that the...
01.30.2019
A ’90s-Style Government Shutdown (Part 2)
This episode of Whistlestop travels to November 7, 1995, when a long and uncomfortable plane ride helped fire up Speaker Gingrich to deliver a dramatic set of budget demands that President Bill Clinton did not expect. Whistlestop is Slate's podcast about...
01.16.2019
A ‘90’s Style Government Shutdown (Part 1)
This episode of Whistlestop travels to April 1995 as President Bill Clinton and Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich battle to define American democracy. Whistlestop is Slate's podcast about presidential history. Hosted by Political Gabfest host John Dickerson, each installment will...
12.12.2018
If a Wall Falls
This episode of Whistlestop travels back to November 9, 1989, when East and West Berliners took sledgehammers to the Berlin Wall and President H.W. George Bush refrained from making grandiose statements about American-style Democracy. Whistlestop is Slate's podcast about presidential history....
11.28.2018
Tip and the Gip Part 2, Social Security
This episode of Whistlestop travels back to December 16, 1981 when President Ronald Reagan signs Executive Order 12335, creating the National Commission on Social Security Reform. Whistlestop is Slate's podcast about presidential history. Hosted by Political Gabfest host John Dickerson, each...
11.14.2018
Tip and the Gip Part 1
This episode of Whistlestop visits 1981 when Republican President Ronald Reagan, after surviving an assassination attempt, received a warm visit from the Democratic Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill. Whistlestop is Slate's podcast about presidential history. Hosted by Political Gabfest...
10.31.2018
Doing the Midterm Shuffle
This episode of Whistlestop visits 1982, 1986, 1994, 2006 and 2010 when former sitting U.S. Presidents all scrambled to respond to displeasing midterm election results. Whistlestop is Slate's podcast about presidential history. Hosted by Political Gabfest host John Dickerson, each...
10.03.2018
Taking Aim at the New Guy
This episode of Whistlestop travels back to October 18, 1938 when former President Hoover picked on the new President with gusto. Many U.S. Presidents to follow were also publicly critical of the new one in office. Whistlestop is Slate's podcast...
09.05.2018
The Nomination of Judge Bork Part 2
This episode of Whistlestop travels back to September 15, 1987 and into the Senate Caucus Room where Associate Justice Designee Robert Bork begins his five days of testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Whistlestop is Slate's podcast about presidential history. Hosted...
08.26.2018
Special Re-Air: John McCain's Surprise 2000 Primary Win in New Hampshire
With John McCain's passing, we are republishing this episode about John McCain's surprise win in the 2000 New Hampshire Republican primary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
08.22.2018
The Bidding of Biden to Boo Bork
This episode of Whistlestop travels back to June 26, 1987, when President Reagan learned that the swing vote Justice on the Supreme Court, Justice Lewis Powell, was going to step down and so a judicial nomination would be due. Whistlestop is...
08.08.2018
Whistlestop Presents: Slow Burn
With John Dickerson out on vacation, we're here to bring you something special: Slow Burn. In each episode of this hit Slate podcast, host Leon Neyfakh excavates the strange subplots and forgotten characters of recent political history—and finds surprising parallels...
07.25.2018
Kennedy and Communism (Part 3)
This episode of Whistlestop travels back to June 1961, in the aftermath of President John F. Kennedy’s meeting Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev in Vienna. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
07.11.2018
Kennedy and Communism (Part 2)
This episode of Whistlestop travels back to June 1961 when President John F. Kennedy sits down with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev in Vienna. Whistlestop is Slate's podcast about presidential history. Hosted by Political Gabfest host John Dickerson, each installment will revisit...
06.27.2018
Kennedy and Communism (Part 1 of 2)
This episode of Whistlestop travels back to June 3, 1961 as President John F. Kennedy prepared to hobble on stage for his first high-stakes summit with a soviet leader. Whistlestop is Slate's podcast about presidential history. Hosted by Political Gabfest host...
06.13.2018
Nixon Goes to China (Part 3 of 3)
This episode of Whistlestop travels back to February 1972, when President Nixon abandoned a much-needed shower in order to rush off and meet Chairman Mao for the first time. Whistlestop is Slate's podcast about presidential history. Hosted by Political Gabfest host...
05.30.2018
Nixon Goes to China (Part 2 of 3)
This episode of Whistlestop travels back to July 10, 1971 when Henry Kissinger is reported to have had a terrible stomach ache while abroad but was really working covertly to promote President Nixon's international agenda. Whistlestop is Slate's podcast about presidential...
05.23.2018
Nixon Goes to China (Part 1)
This episode of Whistlestop travels back to February 21, 1972 when President Nixon, a staunch anti-communist, begins the thawing of relations with China with a personal visit to the country. Whistlestop is Slate's podcast about presidential history. Hosted by Political Gabfest...
05.02.2018
Roosevelt v. The Gorgon
This episode of Whistlestop travels back to Feb 22, 1902, as Theodore Roosevelt prepares to receive the unhappy company of angry executives hoping to strong-arm the White House into ignoring their monopolies. Show Notes: The elitist men’s club, the Corsair Club,...
04.19.2018
The Lighthearted Leanings of Leadership
This episode of Whistlestop travels back to April 30, 2011 when President Obama stepped up to the podium at the White House Correspondents' Dinner to deliver a dig and dig for a laugh. Whistlestop is Slate’s podcast about presidential campaign...
04.04.2018
Four Score and Seven Years of Presidential Golfing
This episode of Whistlestop travels back to April 13, 1953 when Washington DC’s baseball team, the Senators, hoped the nation’s new President would deliver the first pitch of the season. Instead, President Dwight D. Eisenhower was on the links of...
03.07.2018
Griever-in-Chief and Guardian of Common Ground
This episode of Whistlestop travels back to April 19, 1995 when the Oklahoma City Bombing shocked the nation and the President stepped up to offer emotional and political guidance. Whistlestop is Slate’s podcast about presidential campaign history. Hosted by our political...
02.21.2018
Retiring for Peace
When President Johnson delivered his State of the Union speech on January 17, 1968 he surprised those closest to him when he didn’t step down. Whistlestop is Slate’s podcast about presidential campaign history. Hosted by our political correspondent and Political Gabfest...
02.08.2018
Carter Withdraws From U.S. Olympics
America boycotted the Moscow Summer Olympics in 1980 in response to the Russian occupation of Afghanistan. Here on the eve of the next winter Olympiad we’ll have the story of that decision by President Jimmy Carter. Whistlestop is Slate’s podcast about...
01.24.2018
The 25th Amendment
This episode of Whistlestop travels back to April 4, 1841, the death of president William Henry Harrison, and a flaw in the Constitution that needed fixing. Whistlestop is Slate’s podcast about presidential campaign history. Hosted by our political correspondent and...
12.27.2017
Slow Burn: A Podcast About Watergate
Whistlestop presents a preview of Slow Burn, an eight-episode miniseries about Watergate. People called her crazy, and to be fair she must have seemed crazy. But she was onto something. How Martha Mitchell, the celebrity wife of one of Nixon’s...
12.27.2017
Special Re-Broadcast of The Entanglements of the Mega Rich: Vice President Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller
Host John Dickerson visits January 11, 2017 and also the campaign of Gerald R. Ford and Nelson Rockefeller. With it came along concerns of economic entanglements that a rich family might not be able to untangle. Whistlestop is Slate’s podcast about...
12.13.2017
The Air Traffic Take Down
This episode of Whistlestop travels back to August 3, 1981 when 12,000 air traffic controllers walked off their jobs. Whistlestop is Slate’s podcast about presidential campaign history. Hosted by our political correspondent and Political Gabfest panelist John Dickerson, each installment will...
11.29.2017
The Partial Truths of the Presidency
Presidents FDR, Bush, Obama and others delivered partial truths to the American people. Were they good leaders? Whistlestop is Slate’s podcast about presidential campaign history. Hosted by our political correspondent and Political Gabfest panelist John Dickerson, each installment will revisit a...
11.15.2017
Harry S. Truman's Battles with the Bosses (an encore presentation)
Whistlestop is Slate’s podcast about presidentialcampaign history. Hosted by our political correspondent and PoliticalGabfest panelist JohnDickerson, each installment will revisit amemorable (or even a forgotten) moment from America's quadrennialcarnival.Podcastproduction and edit by Jocelyn Frank.Research byBrian Rosenwald.Love Slatepodcasts? Listen longer with...
11.01.2017
FDR's Purge
This episode of Whistlestop travels back to June 24, 1938, to a fireside chat with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, as he prepared to attempt to purge the congressional leadership in order to push forward the executive office’s agenda Whistlestop is Slate's...
10.18.2017
At the Heart of the President's Heart
Whistlestop is Slate's podcast about presidential history. Hosted by political correspondent and Political Gabfest panelist John Dickerson, each installment will revisit memorable (or even forgotten) moments from America's Presidential carnival. Podcast production and edit by Jocelyn Frank. Research by Brian Rosenwald. Love...
10.04.2017
Responder in Chief
Whistlestop is Slate's podcast about presidential history. Hosted by political correspondent and Political Gabfest panelist John Dickerson, each installment will revisit memorable (or even forgotten) moments from America's Presidential carnival. Podcast production and edit by Jocelyn Frank. Research by Brian Rosenwald. Love...
09.20.2017
A High Point in Bipartisan Deal-Making
Whistlestop is Slate's podcast about presidential history. Hosted by political correspondent and Political Gabfest panelist John Dickerson, each installment will revisit memorable (or even forgotten) moments from America's Presidential carnival. Podcast production and edit by Jocelyn Frank. Research by Brian Rosenwald. Love...
08.10.2017
Riding the Oratory Train
This episode of Whistlestop revisits September 25, 1919 and the collapse of grand speeches for peace delivered by President Wilson. Whistlestop is Slate's podcast about presidential history. Hosted by political correspondent and Political Gabfest panelist John Dickerson, each installment will revisit...
07.26.2017
Loyalty Tests and The Bridge of Death
This episode of Whistlestop revisits July 1979 when President Carter prepared to cut a number of his cabinet members free and start afresh. Whistlestop is Slate's podcast about presidential history. Hosted by political correspondent and Political Gabfest panelist John Dickerson,...
07.12.2017
Foreign Collusion and the Dragon Lady
Whistlestop is Slate's podcast about presidential history. Hosted by John Dickerson, each installment revisits a memorable (or even a forgotten) moment from America's past. Podcast production and edit by Jocelyn Frank.Research by Brian Rosenwald. Love Slate podcasts? Listen longer with Slate Plus!...
06.28.2017
Lady Lincoln and the Leak
This episode of Whistlestop revisits an era of mischievous accounting by first lady Mary Todd Lincoln and the work of a leaker who helped distract the press. Whistlestop is Slate's podcast about presidential history. Hosted by political correspondent and Political Gabfest...
06.14.2017
A Powerful Pardon
This episode of Whistlestop revisits Sunday September 8, 1974 when President Ford announced his pardon of Richard Nixon. Whistlestop is Slate's podcast about presidential history. Hosted by political correspondent and Political Gabfest panelist John Dickerson, each installment will revisit memorable (or...
06.01.2017
Oliver North Master Crafter of the Political Lie
This episode of Whistlestop travels back to October 5, 1986 when an American plane went down as it was carrying arms to "Contra" guerrillas fighting the communist regime in Nicaragua and the lies about the Iran Contra affair flared up. Whistlestop...
05.17.2017
Recording from the Oval
This episode of Whistlestop travels back to February 1971 when President Nixon asks his Chief of Staff if they can record conversations in the Oval Office for posterity. Whistlestop is Slate's podcast about presidential history. Hosted by political correspondent and Political...
04.19.2017
A Recipe for a Presidential Speech
This episode of Whistlestop travels to June 11, 1962 when President Kennedy receives an honorary degree from Yale University and delivers the commencement address. Whistlestop is Slate's podcast about presidential history. Hosted by political correspondent and Political Gabfest panelist John Dickerson,...
04.05.2017
The Fire of Agnew
This episode of Whistlestop revisits October 15, 1969 and the divisive words of then Vice President Spiro Agnew. Whistlestop is Slate's podcast about presidential history. Hosted by political correspondent and Political Gabfest panelist John Dickerson, each installment will revisit memorable (or...

What's Whistlestop: Presidential History and Trivia about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Whistlestop: Presidential History and Trivia episodes:

The Presidency as a Consumer Experience (Part 2)

The Presidency as a Consumer Experience (Part 1)

Avoiding A Great Re-Recession

Introducing Charged: A True Punishment Story

The Making of the American Presidency (Part 4)

The Making of the American Presidency (Part 3)

The Making of the American Presidency (Part 2)

The Making of the American Presidency (Part 1)

A ’90s-Style Government Shutdown (Part 2)

A ‘90’s Style Government Shutdown (Part 1)

If a Wall Falls

Tip and the Gip Part 2, Social Security

Tip and the Gip Part 1

Doing the Midterm Shuffle

Taking Aim at the New Guy

The Nomination of Judge Bork Part 2

Special Re-Air: John McCain's Surprise 2000 Primary Win in New Hampshire

The Bidding of Biden to Boo Bork

Whistlestop Presents: Slow Burn

Kennedy and Communism (Part 3)

Kennedy and Communism (Part 2)

Kennedy and Communism (Part 1 of 2)

Nixon Goes to China (Part 3 of 3)

Nixon Goes to China (Part 2 of 3)

Nixon Goes to China (Part 1)

Roosevelt v. The Gorgon

The Lighthearted Leanings of Leadership

Four Score and Seven Years of Presidential Golfing

Griever-in-Chief and Guardian of Common Ground

Retiring for Peace

Carter Withdraws From U.S. Olympics

The 25th Amendment

Slow Burn: A Podcast About Watergate

Special Re-Broadcast of The Entanglements of the Mega Rich: Vice President Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller

The Air Traffic Take Down

The Partial Truths of the Presidency

Harry S. Truman's Battles with the Bosses (an encore presentation)

FDR's Purge

At the Heart of the President's Heart

Responder in Chief

A High Point in Bipartisan Deal-Making

Riding the Oratory Train

Loyalty Tests and The Bridge of Death

Foreign Collusion and the Dragon Lady

Lady Lincoln and the Leak

A Powerful Pardon

Oliver North Master Crafter of the Political Lie

Recording from the Oval

A Recipe for a Presidential Speech

The Fire of Agnew

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