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Interviews - Obama Presidency Oral History

461 Interviews

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A–Z
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Narrators

Academics and educators
Activists, advocates, and organizers
Advisors
Artists, poets, and musicians
Authors and journalists
Business leaders
Diplomats and ambassadors
Economists
Federal Government Officials, and Non-US Officials
Friends & family
Health professionals
Lawyers and judges
Legislators and Legislative Personnel
Military and defense personnel
Non-US officials
Nonprofit leaders
Philanthropists
Political consultants and campaign workers
Recipients of Letter or Visit from the President
Religious leaders
Scientists and engineers
Speechwriters and communications professionals
State and local government officials
Union and labor leaders
White House officials

Topics

Interviewers

Interviews Timeline Map

Interviews Timeline Map

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Rebekah
Erler

Economic Correspondent
go to the interview

Fiona
Reeves

Director of Presidential Correspondence
go to the interview

Brett
McGurk

Special Envoy
go to the interview

Bill
McKibben

Environmental Activist
go to the interview

Michael
Daniel

Cybersecurity Coordinator
go to the interview

Neil
Eggleston

White House Counsel
go to the interview

David
Cote

CEO of Honeywell International
go to the interview

Cody
Keenan

Speechwriter
go to the interview

Nancy
Sutley

Environmental Policy Official
go to the interview

Tom
Harkin

US Senator from Iowa
go to the interview

Claudia
Rankine

Poet
go to the interview

Norman
Brown

Clemency Recipient and Youth Mentor
go to the interview

Ellen
Moran

White House Communications Director
go to the interview

Angela
Spear

College Teacher
go to the interview

Bill T.
Jones

Dancer and Choreographer
go to the interview

Elizabeth
Fowler

Health Policy Official
go to the interview

Kori
Schulman

Communications Official
go to the interview

Austan
Goolsbee

Council of Economic Advisers Chair
go to the interview

Jane
Lute

Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security
go to the interview

Earl
Smith

US Army Veteran
go to the interview

Newton
Minow

Attorney
go to the interview

Henry
Paulson

Secretary of the Treasury
go to the interview

Jon
Favreau

Speechwriter
go to the interview

Jason
Rezaian

Journalist
go to the interview

Cecile
Richards

Planned Parenthood President
go to the interview

Azizullah
Royesh

Educator and Social Activist
go to the interview

Ben
LaBolt

Assistant Press Secretary
go to the interview

Katie
Johnson

Personal Presidential Secretary
go to the interview

Janice
Langbehn

LGBTQ+ Rights Advocate
go to the interview

Gil
Steinlauf

Rabbi and LGBTQ+ Rights Advocate
go to the interview

Fatou
Ba Ndiour

Development Professional
go to the interview

Jon
Carson

Public Engagement Official
go to the interview

Rick
Jordan

Master Mariner
go to the interview

Jane
Chu

NEA Chair
go to the interview

Eric
Waldo

Education Policy Advisor
go to the interview

Toni
Preckwinkle

Cook County Politician
go to the interview

Marielena
Hincapié

Immigration Justice
go to the interview

Michael
Mullen

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
go to the interview

Daniel
Russel

Foreign Policy Official
go to the interview

Pete
Rouse

White House Chief of Staff
go to the interview

Carrie
Tan Huimin

Member of Singaporean Parliament
go to the interview

Sarah
Holway

School Teacher and Food Policy Activist
go to the interview

Johnnie
Carson

Diplomat and Foreign Policy Official
go to the interview

Khari
Joyner

Cellist
go to the interview

Nathan
Law

Hong Kong Democracy Activist
go to the interview

Maya
Shankar

White House Behavioral Sciences Advisor
go to the interview

Kathleen
Merrigan

Deputy Secretary of Agriculture
go to the interview

Hadi
Pir

Human Rights Activist
go to the interview

Robert
McDonald

Secretary of Veterans Affairs
go to the interview

Robert
Gates

Secretary of Defense
go to the interview

Harold
Varmus

National Cancer Institute Director
go to the interview

Rahm
Emanuel

White House Chief of Staff
go to the interview

Judy
Heumann

Disability Rights Activist
go to the interview

Jason
Furman

Economic Policy Official
go to the interview

Jeffrey
Bader

Foreign Policy Official
go to the interview

Frances
Beinecke

Environmentalist and Nonprofit Executive
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Megan
Smith

US Chief Technology Officer
go to the interview

Danielle
Gray

Cabinet Secretary
go to the interview

John
Morton

ICE Director
go to the interview

Krysta
Harden

Deputy Secretary of Agriculture
go to the interview

Jake
Sullivan

Foreign Policy Official
go to the interview

Karen
Richardson

Public Engagement Official
go to the interview

Lisa
Konwinski

Legislative Advisor and Policy Official
go to the interview

Thant
Myint-U

Burmese Reform Advocate
go to the interview

Tiffany
Drake

East Wing Development Policy Advisor
go to the interview

John and Teresa Palmer

Miner and Labor Leader
go to the interview

Kimberly
Teehee

Native American Affairs Policy Advisor
go to the interview

Sheila
Bair

FDIC Chair
go to the interview

Janie Simms
Hipp

Tribal Relations Advisor
go to the interview

Karen
Dresden

School Principal
go to the interview

Mary Beth
Maxwell

Labor Policy Official
go to the interview

Rosie
Rios

Treasurer of the United States
go to the interview

Natalie
Tennant

West Virginia Secretary of State
go to the interview

Julián
Castro

HUD Secretary
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Nancy
Nielsen

American Medical Association President
go to the interview

Randi
Weingarten

Labor Leader
go to the interview

Tommy
Vietor

Communications Official
go to the interview

Mara
Rudman

Foreign Policy Official
go to the interview

Rajiv
Shah

USAID Administrator
go to the interview

Thomas
Perez

Secretary of Labor
go to the interview

Diane
Johnson

HUD Official
go to the interview

Janet
Napolitano

Secretary of Homeland Security
go to the interview

Huma
Abedin

Political Aide and Advisor
go to the interview

LaShana
Lewis

DEI Consultant and Advocate
go to the interview

Vivek
Kundra

US Chief Information Officer
go to the interview

John
Holdren

White House Science Advisor
go to the interview

James
Cole

Deputy Attorney General
go to the interview

Rose
Gottemoeller

Foreign Policy Official
go to the interview

Rebecca
Mieliwocki

School Teacher
go to the interview

Lisa
Jackson

EPA Administrator
go to the interview

Andrea
Mokros

White House Staffer
go to the interview

Doug
O'Brien

Rural Development Official
go to the interview

Maya
Soetoro-Ng

Sister of President Obama
go to the interview

John
Mier

Business Owner and Healthcare Advocate
go to the interview

Shailagh
Murray

Communications Advisor
go to the interview

Jeremy
Bernard

White House Social Secretary
go to the interview

Louvon
Harris

Hate Crimes Legislation
go to the interview

John
Rogers

Campaign Fundraiser
go to the interview

Anna Deavere
Smith

Actress and Playwright
go to the interview

Chelsea and Jeremy Haynes

US Army Sergeant and Major
go to the interview

Ben
Jealous

Civil Rights Advocate
go to the interview

Kylon
Middleton

Pastor and Theologian
go to the interview

Christina
Falcon

Student Ambassador
go to the interview

Craig
Spencer

Physician and Global Health Practitioner
go to the interview

Eric
Holder

Attorney General
go to the interview

Alan
Bersin

Homeland Security Official
go to the interview

John
Cullerton

Illinois State Senator
go to the interview

Pete
Souza

White House Photographer
go to the interview

Andrew
Winer

Lawyer and Political Aide
go to the interview

Anne
Filipic

Public Engagement Official
go to the interview

James
Risen

Investigative Journalist
go to the interview

Janet
Murguía

Civil Rights Advocate
go to the interview

Andrew
Stern

Labor Leader
go to the interview

Yohannes
Abraham

Policy Advisor
go to the interview

Denise
O'Brien

Farmer and Agriculture Policy Advisor
go to the interview

Leana
Wen

Public Health Official
go to the interview

Lindsay
Early

Comanche Advocate and Correspondent
go to the interview

Beverly Daniel
Tatum

University President
go to the interview

Sophia
Ford-Glanton

Urologist
go to the interview

James
Clapper

Director of National Intelligence
go to the interview

Sally
Jewell

Secretary of the Interior
go to the interview

Cass
Sunstein

Regulatory Policy Administrator
go to the interview

Gary
Pruitt

President of the Associated Press
go to the interview

Gina
McCarthy

EPA Administrator
go to the interview

Peter
Orszag

White House Budget Director
go to the interview

Allison
Davis

Lawyer
go to the interview

Pranav
Shetty

Physician and Global Health Practitioner
go to the interview

Patrick
Gaspard

Ambassador and Political Advisor
go to the interview

Oprah
Winfrey

Media Proprietor
go to the interview

Jocelyn
Frye

East Wing Policy Director
go to the interview

Tom
Wheeler

FCC Chair
go to the interview

Leif
Elsmo

UChicago Medicine Community Relations Director
go to the interview

Rumana
Ahmed

Public Engagement Official
go to the interview

Steven
Chu

Secretary of Energy
go to the interview

John
Drew

Anti-Poverty Advocate
go to the interview

Valerie
Jarrett

Senior Advisor to the President
go to the interview

Bruce
Orenstein

Filmmaker and Community Organizer
go to the interview

Kate
Orff

Landscape Architect
go to the interview

Michael
McFaul

Ambassador
Immigration

74
go to the interview

Otis
Moss III

Pastor and Theologian
go to the interview

Julius
Genachowski

FCC Chair
go to the interview

Richard
Blanco

Inaugural Poet
go to the interview

Matthew
Doherty

Homelessness Policy Official
go to the interview

Martin
Dempsey

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
go to the interview

Jim
Obergefell

Marriage Equality Activist and Plaintiff
go to the interview

Olsen
Jean-Julien

Engineer and Architect
go to the interview

Gayle
Smith

Foreign Policy Official
go to the interview

Reggie
Love

Personal Aide to Obama
go to the interview

Avril
Haines

Deputy National Security Advisor
go to the interview

Destiny
Blackmon

Nurse and Correspondent
go to the interview

Gautam
Raghavan

Public Engagement Official
go to the interview

Harold Hongju
Koh

State Department Legal Adviser
go to the interview

Raffi
Freedman-Gurspan

Transgender Activist and LGBTQ Liaison
go to the interview

Craig
Fugate

FEMA Administrator
go to the interview

Timothy
Geithner

Secretary of the Treasury
go to the interview

Sandra
Fluke

Reproductive Health Advocate
go to the interview

Joe
Solmonese

LGBTQ+ Rights Activist
go to the interview

Carol
Browner

Energy and Climate Policy Director
go to the interview

Sharon
Pinder

Minority Business Advocate
go to the interview

Harry
Reid

Senate Majority Leader
go to the interview

Sarah Bloom
Raskin

Economic and Monetary Policy Official
go to the interview

Charles
Bolden

NASA Administrator
go to the interview

Astrid
Silva

Immigration Activist
go to the interview

Elizabeth
Brown

White House Staff Secretary
go to the interview

Samantha
Tubman

Public Engagement Official
go to the interview

Terry
Szuplat

Speechwriter
go to the interview

Astra
Taylor

Filmmaker and Activist
go to the interview

Gloria
Borland

Publisher and Filmmaker
go to the interview

David
Shulkin

Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs
go to the interview

Amy
Sherald

Portraitist
go to the interview

Rob
Nabors

Policy Advisor
go to the interview

Ginger
Miller

Women Veterans Advocate
go to the interview

Marian
Robinson

Mother of First Lady Michelle Obama
go to the interview

Paul
Ryan

Member of Congress
go to the interview

Daniel
Shomon

Campaign Strategist and Political Aide
go to the interview

Jennifer
Palmieri

White House Communications Director
go to the interview

Martha
Kanter

Under Secretary of Education
go to the interview

Marc
Morial

Civil Rights Advocate
go to the interview

Michèle
Flournoy

Defense Policy Official
go to the interview

Kathy
Greenlee

Assistant HHS Secretary for Aging
go to the interview

Larry
Summers

National Economic Council Director
go to the interview

Todd
Stern

Special Envoy
go to the interview

Dick
Durbin

US Senator from Illinois
go to the interview

Wally
Adeyemo

Economic Policy Advisor
go to the interview

Thomas
Holst

Energy Industry Executive
go to the interview

Debra
Eschmeyer

Let's Move! Director
go to the interview

Katie
McCormick Lelyveld

Press Secretary to the First Lady
go to the interview

Ken
Salazar

Secretary of the Interior
go to the interview

Doua
Thor

Public Engagement Official and Advocate
go to the interview

William
McRaven

Military Official
go to the interview

Joe
Del Bosque

Farmer
go to the interview

Anne-Marie
Slaughter

Foreign Policy Official
go to the interview

Courtney
Hight

Environmental Advocate and Campaigner
go to the interview

Norm
Eisen

Diplomat and Policy Advisor
go to the interview

Judy and Dennis Shepard

Hate Crimes Legislation Advocates
go to the interview

Shirley
Sherrod

Rural Development Official
go to the interview

Sheryl
Cousineau

Immigration Correspondent
go to the interview

Meredith
Koop

Stylist to the First Lady
go to the interview

Samantha
Power

Ambassador to the United Nations
go to the interview

Paulette
Aniskoff

Public Engagement Official
go to the interview

Martin
Nesbitt

Presidential Campaign Treasurer
go to the interview

Kevin
Concannon

Under Secretary of Agriculture
go to the interview

Jen
Psaki

White House Communications Director
go to the interview

Shaun
Donovan

HUD Secretary and OMB Director
go to the interview

Antony
Blinken

Deputy Secretary of State
go to the interview

Theresa
Pouley

Tribal Court Judge
go to the interview

Dalai
Lama

Spiritual Leader
go to the interview

John
Kerry

Secretary of State and US Senator
go to the interview

Frank
Rose

Foreign Policy Official
go to the interview

Derek
Mitchell

Ambassador
go to the interview

Nancy-Ann
DeParle

White House Deputy Chief of Staff
go to the interview

Chris
Hughes

Media Proprietor and Campaigner
go to the interview

Stuart Glauberman and Jerry Burris

Authors
go to the interview

Daryl
Johnson

Counterterrorism Official
go to the interview

Mona
Hanna-Attisha

Pediatrician and Public Health Advocate
go to the interview

Laurie
Robinson

Assistant Attorney General
go to the interview

Raul
Salinas

Mayor of Laredo
go to the interview

Gabriele
Grossman

Campaign Volunteer
go to the interview

Kenneth
Roth

Human Rights Activist
go to the interview

Josh
DuBois

Public Engagement Official
go to the interview

Rohit
Kumar

Congressional Policy Advisor
go to the interview

Robert
Trapp

Newspaper Publisher and Correspondent
go to the interview

Chuck
Freedman

Communications Professional
go to the interview

Felice
Gorordo

Foreign Policy Advocate and Advisor
go to the interview

Scott
Gration

Special Envoy
go to the interview

Mona
Sutphen

Deputy Chief of Staff
go to the interview

Michael
Steele

Chair of Republican National Committee
go to the interview

Lee
Bollinger

University President
go to the interview

Esther
Brimmer

Foreign Policy Official
go to the interview

Vivek
Murthy

Surgeon General
go to the interview

Arun
Majumdar

ARPA-E Director
go to the interview

Derek
Chollet

Foreign Policy Official
go to the interview

Ash
Carter

Secretary of Defense
go to the interview

Dan
Feldman

Foreign Policy Official
go to the interview

Rick
Wade

Economic Policy Advisor
go to the interview

Andrew
Herscowitz

Power Africa Coordinator
go to the interview

Al
Sharpton

Civil Rights Activist
go to the interview

Victoria
Nuland

Foreign Policy Official
go to the interview

Kimberlé
Crenshaw

Legal Scholar and Civil Rights Advocate
go to the interview

Colin
Kahl

Foreign Policy Official
go to the interview

Tawakkol
Karman

Human Rights Activist
go to the interview

Steven
Rattner

Economic Policy Official
go to the interview

Wendy
Sherman

Foreign Policy Official
go to the interview

Ben
Rhodes

Speechwriter and Foreign Policy Official
go to the interview

Heather
Foster

Public Engagement Official
go to the interview

Jeh
Johnson

Secretary of Homeland Security
go to the interview

Tyler
Swanson

Voting Rights Activist
go to the interview

Elizabeth
Alexander

Inaugural Poet
go to the interview

Byron
Auguste

Economic Policy Advisor
go to the interview

Brian
Bond

Public Engagement Official
go to the interview

Ellen
Hollander

Nonprofit Executive
go to the interview

Chuck
Hagel

Secretary of Defense
go to the interview

Wilma
Liebman

Labor Relations Official
go to the interview

Melody
Barnes

Domestic Policy Advisor
go to the interview

Gregory
Craig

White House Counsel
go to the interview

Wayne
Frederick

University President
go to the interview

Christine
Chen

Executive Director of APIAVote
go to the interview

Kēhaulani
Lum

Advocate for Indigenous Hawaiians
go to the interview

Stephanie
Cutter

Political and Policy Advisor
go to the interview

Nead
Bunna

Girls' Education Advocate
go to the interview

Michael
Minor

Pastor and Healthcare Advocate
go to the interview

Chelsea
Manning

Activist and Whistleblower
go to the interview

Loretta
Lynch

Attorney General
go to the interview

Pal
Eldredge

President Obama's Fifth-Grade Teacher
go to the interview

Sarah
Hurwitz

Speechwriter for the First Lady
go to the interview

DJ
Patil

White House Chief Data Scientist
go to the interview

Cornell
Belcher

Political Pollster and Strategist
go to the interview

Susan
Rice

National Security Advisor
go to the interview

Dan
Hale

High School Classmate of President Obama
go to the interview

Richard
Cordray

CFPB Director
go to the interview

Dan
Pfeiffer

White House Communications Director
go to the interview

DeRay
Mckesson

Social Justice Activist
go to the interview

Jeff
Flake

US Senator from Arizona
go to the interview

Don
Verrilli

Solicitor General
go to the interview

Ursula
Burns

CEO of Xerox
go to the interview

Kathryn
Ruemmler

White House Counsel
go to the interview

Jennifer
Simon

East Wing Policy Advisor
go to the interview

Josh
Earnest

White House Press Secretary
go to the interview

Richard
Nephew

Foreign Policy Official
go to the interview

Julianna
Smoot

Campaign Finance Director
go to the interview

Jodi
Archambault Gillette

Native American Affairs Policy Official
go to the interview

Samuel
Locklear

Military Official
go to the interview

Tom
Frieden

CDC Director
go to the interview

William
Taylor

Foreign Policy Official
go to the interview

Ricardo
Zúniga

Foreign Policy Official
go to the interview

Aditi
Hardikar

Public Engagement Official
go to the interview

Christopher
Dodd

US Senator from Connecticut
go to the interview

Connie
Anderson

Healthcare Reform Advocate
go to the interview

Sam
Kass

White House Chef and Policy Advisor
go to the interview

Avelino
Halagao

Lawyer and Nonprofit Executive
go to the interview

Hannah
August

Press Secretary to the First Lady
go to the interview

Lisa
Monaco

Homeland Security Advisor
go to the interview

Farhana
Khera

Civil Rights Advocate
go to the interview

Michael
Morell

CIA Deputy Director
go to the interview

Arturo
Valenzuela

Foreign Policy Official
go to the interview

Cecilia
Muñoz

Domestic Policy Advisor
go to the interview

Ron
Kirk

US Trade Representative
go to the interview

Aneesh
Chopra

US Chief Technology Officer
go to the interview

Bobby
Rush

Member of Congress
go to the interview

Ellen
Weintraub

FEC Commissioner
go to the interview

Hillary
Clinton

Secretary of State
go to the interview

Gil
Kerlikowske

Drug Policy Official
go to the interview

Emil
Jones

Illinois State Senator
go to the interview

James
Crown

Businessperson and Campaign Fundraiser
go to the interview

Sybrina
Fulton

Social Justice Activist
go to the interview

David
Simas

White House Political Advisor
go to the interview

Dennis
Ross

Foreign Policy Official
go to the interview

Stephen
Kroft

Broadcast Journalist
go to the interview

Jay
Carney

Press Secretary
go to the interview

Tyler
Lechtenberg

Speechwriter
go to the interview

Tina
Tchen

Chief of Staff to the First Lady
go to the interview

Craig
Robinson

Brother of Michelle Obama
go to the interview

Vanita
Gupta

Assistant Attorney General
go to the interview

Nadine
Smith

LGBTQ+ Rights Activist
go to the interview

Marilynne
Robinson

Novelist
go to the interview

Michelle
Gavin

Ambassador
go to the interview

Kendrick
Eagle

Standing Rock Sioux Youth Leader
go to the interview

Michael
Posner

Foreign Policy Official
go to the interview

Susan
Sher

Chief of Staff to the First Lady
go to the interview

Jim Houser and Helen Dally

Business Owners and Healthcare Advocates
go to the interview

Angella
Reid

White House Usher
go to the interview

Jordan
Brooks

Gender Policy Advisor
go to the interview

Leon
Panetta

Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
go to the interview

Richard
Trumka

Labor Leader
go to the interview

Betsey
Stevenson

Economic Policy Official
go to the interview

Anthony
Fauci

Public Health Official
go to the interview

Jeanne
Lambrew

Health Policy Advisor
go to the interview

Elizabeth
Warren

US Senator and Economic Policy Advisor
go to the interview

Neil
Abercrombie

Governor of Hawaii
go to the interview

Darrell
Padgett

Criminal Justice Advocate
go to the interview

Penny
Pritzker

Secretary of Commerce
go to the interview

Michael
Strautmanis

Public Engagement Official
go to the interview

John
Podesta

Presidential Advisor
go to the interview

Bill
Ivey

Folklorist
go to the interview

Melissa
Winter

Deputy Chief of Staff to the First Lady
go to the interview

Ileana
Yarza Paneque

Foreign Policy Correspondent
go to the interview

Konrad
Ng

Brother-in-Law of President Obama
go to the interview

Krish
Vignarajah

East Wing Policy Director
go to the interview

Nicole
Lurie

Public Health Policy Official
go to the interview

Elizabeth
Phu

Defense and Foreign Policy Official
go to the interview

Sasha
Alston

Advocate for Women in STEM and Author
go to the interview

Rebecca
Tallent

Congressional Policy Advisor
go to the interview

Ronald
Klain

Chief of Staff to the Vice President
go to the interview

Thomas
Kalil

Science and Technology Policy Official
go to the interview

Michelle
Miller

Labor Leader
go to the interview

Leah
Katz-Hernandez

White House Staff and Inclusion Advocate
go to the interview

Deesha
Dyer

White House Social Secretary
go to the interview

Donald
Molloy

Judge
go to the interview

Sarada
Peri

Speechwriter
go to the interview

Michael
Leiter

Counterterrorism Official
go to the interview

Libby
Garvey

Arlington County Politician
go to the interview

Muriel
Finegold

Political and Environmental Activist
go to the interview

Eric
Kusunoki

Teacher of President Obama
go to the interview

Robert
Post

Nutrition Policy Official
go to the interview

Kiran
Mazumdar-Shaw

Businessperson
go to the interview

Jim
Messina

Political Advisor and Campaign Manager
go to the interview

Regina
Benjamin

Surgeon General
go to the interview

BriGette
McCoy

US Army Veteran and Advocate
go to the interview

Joanna
Rosholm

Press Secretary to the First Lady
go to the interview

Andre
Johnson

Substance Abuse Recovery Advocate
go to the interview

Daniel
Fried

Special Envoy
go to the interview

Heather
Linebaugh

US Air Force Veteran
go to the interview

Katie
Fallon

Legislative Affairs Director
go to the interview

Melanie
Bahnke

Alaska Native and Arctic Issues Advocate

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