Presidents' Private Lives

American History Hit

History Hit

America, History

4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 7 November 2024

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

With the US election happening, we wanted to take a look back at the presidents from the past what we know about their sex lives.

Which president was well-endowed and supposedly presented it to staff in the Oval Office? Which president had an affair on his honeymoon? And which had an affair with his wife's secretary?

And no, they're not all JFK.

Joining Kate on Betwixt the Sheets to help us find out is Eleanor Herman, author of Sex with Presidents: The Ins and Outs of Love and Lust in the White House.

This podcast was edited by Freddy Chick. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Depending on how close one follows the coverage, we all have our own vague impression of what actually happens on inauguration day.
0:08.3	When the president-elect of the United States, along with his or her spouse or partner, typically attends a church service, is sworn into office at the U.S. Capitol, addresses the nation, and then makes the ceremonial journey up Pennsylvania Avenue
0:22.2	before attending a whirlwind evening of inaugural balls. But within the White House perimeter
0:28.0	that day, some 100 resident staffers begin work as early as 4 a.m., decorating and making
0:34.7	preparations, exchanging one set of president's belongings for the next,
0:39.4	a tradition dating back to the earliest days of the executive mansion. It is an act of housekeeping,
0:45.0	as practical as it is symbolic. The manifestation of the peaceful transition of power our
0:50.9	democracy utterly relies upon. At the same time, it reminds us that first and
0:55.6	foremost, any president is only human, albeit a human, with a very programmed schedule and
1:01.0	limited personal time. Nonetheless, life moves onward. Spouses meet for meals. Children are schooled.
1:07.2	Pets are house-trained, as the first family forges ahead, as normally as it can.
1:13.1	In this election week, this is an episode of our sister podcast, Betwixt the Sheets,
1:18.7	where Eleanor Herman, formerly of Episode 200 American History hit,
1:22.5	speaks to Dr. Kate Lister about the sex lives of presidents throughout American history.
1:28.2	Please enjoy.
1:46.6	Hello, and welcome back to Betwixt the Sheets. It's only Eleanor Harmon. How are you doing? I am so delighted to be here again talking to you, Kate. I always have such a blast. I know. I love every single one of them,
1:52.0	but this one feels particularly pertinent because this episode will be going out on November
1:58.3	the 5th, which in the UK is remember, remember the 5th of November when Guy Fawkes
2:03.0	tried to blow up Parliament. But for you guys, that's the day of the election.
2:09.1	I can't wait for it to be. You know, as an American, I am so exhausted. I feel like for the past
2:16.6	decade or so, I've been in a really horrible dream, very complicated and long, and I am so exhausted. I feel like for the past decade or so, I've been in a really horrible dream,
2:19.5	very complicated and long, and I just want to wake up. Doesn't it? Just feel like it's gone on forever
	...

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