Obama Presidency Oral History

Incite at Columbia University
The Obama Presidency as told by 450+ officials, activists, organizers, and extraordinary people from all walks of life.
  • Joe Del Bosque

    Farmer

  • Courtney Hight

    Environmental Advocate and Campaigner

  • Robert Trapp

    Newspaper Publisher and Correspondent

  • Zeke Emanuel

    Health Policy Advisor

  • Regina Benjamin

    Surgeon General

  • Sarah Holway

    School Teacher and Food Policy Activist

  • Kathleen Sebelius

    Secretary of Health and Human Services

  • Bill McKibben

    Environmental Activist

  • Lisa Jackson

    EPA Administrator

  • Carolyn Britton

    National Medical Association President

  • Peter Orszag

    White House Budget Director

  • Arun Majumdar

    ARPA-E Director

  • Andrew Stern

    Labor Leader

  • Christy Goldfuss

    Environmental Policy Official

  • Todd Stern

    Special Envoy

  • Nancy Nielsen

    American Medical Association President

  • Art and Helen Tanderup

    Farmers

  • Steven Chu

    Secretary of Energy

  • Nancy Sutley

    Environmental Policy Official

  • Cecile Richards

    Planned Parenthood President

Joe Del Bosque
Farmer
43

Interviews released

Explore a special preview of interviews related to climate, energy, the environment, and healthcare.

Explore all interviews

Since 2019, Incite at Columbia University has interviewed hundreds of people to produce the official oral history of the Obama presidency. These in-depth interviews, conducted with those inside and outside of the administration, represent roughly 1,100 hours of audio and video that together form a comprehensive record of the Obama years.

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Stories

Each oral history interview contains dozens of stories. Explore these stories through prepared playlists—or save stories to make your own.

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    Negotiation experiences during health care cost curve discussions Nancy Nielsen
    03:50
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    Obama's disciplined eating habits and the role of a traveling chief of staff Nancy-Ann DeParle
    03:26
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    Coordinating disaster response with Carol Browner during the oil spill crisis Heather Zichal
    06:53
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    Planned Parenthood's engagement with the Obama administration on health reform Cecile Richards
    02:00
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    Negotiating with the pharmaceutical industry during healthcare reform Elizabeth Fowler
    02:14
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    Connection between healthcare reform and the economy during the 2008 financial crisis Zeke Emanuel
    02:13
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    Reflection on personal values aligning with President Obama's and a humorous exchange about job acceptance Nancy-Ann DeParle
    02:45
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    Reflections on education and No Child Left Behind before the 2008 election Sarah Holway
    02:24
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    Defense strategy for the Affordable Care Act and the tax-power argument Don Verrilli
    07:32
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    First experience on the House of Representatives Chamber floor Jim Houser
    02:23
Explore all stories

Topics

From healthcare to the financial crisis to nuclear nonproliferation, each topic explored in this collection is brought to life by narrators from both inside and outside the Obama administration.

  • go to the Climate, Environment, and Energy
    Climate, Environment, and Energy
  • go to the Healthcare
    Healthcare
  • Arts and Humanities
    Coming soon
  • The People's House
    Coming soon
  • Republican Opposition
    Coming soon
  • LGBTQ Policy
    Coming soon
  • Democrats
    Coming soon
  • Gun Control
    Coming soon
  • Black Politics
    Coming soon
  • Asia Rebalance
    Coming soon
See more topics

Navigate

Navigate the interconnected events and places that make up this history, narrated by the stories of the people who lived it.



News& Events

  • read full text: What a New Oral History Reveals About Obama, and the Tradeoffs He Made
    Peter Baker in The New York Times.
    NewsRead more
  • read full text: An Expansive View Into Obama’s Transformative Presidency
    Caroline Harting in Columbia News.
    NewsRead more
  • read full text: The Obama Presidency Inside-Out: A Conversation About Climate
    New York City
    On May 31, 2023, we gathered in New York City to celebrate the completion of the Obama Presidency Oral History project's fieldwork.
    EventRead more
See more news