LBJ's False Flag

We’re quite sure what the crossover between This is the President listeners and the Alex Jones Show audience is, but it’s a pretty good bet that if you fall into one of those demographics, you probably know what a False Flag attack is. Sure, we all know how batshit crazy Alex Jones is, but sometimes - SOMETIMES - he does bring up an interesting tidbit or two.

A False Flag attack, for those of you not in the know, is when a government either launches an attack on its own forces or simply invents an attack, all the while claiming it was done by another country. For example, famous examples in America include (at least to the False Flag theorists) the explosion of the USS Maine (Spanish-American War), the Lusitania torpedoing (WWI) and Pearl Harbor (WWII).;

Lumped in with all the above was the Gulf of Tonkin incident (1964), which lead to the widening of the Vietnam conflict into a full scale war. It all began on August 2, when a number of North Vietnamese patrol boats launched torpedos at United States Navy destroyers. The conflict further escalated on August 4, when more North Vietnamese patrol boats engaged the US forces…or, at least that’s how the story goes.

In this episodes phone call, we’ll listen in on President Johnson as he gets the latest news from the front on August 4, 1964. Were US forces really attacked? YOU make the call!

ALSO IN THIS EPISODE - Harmon and Scott compare LBJ’s False Flag attack to the current president’s fascination with Iran, the return of Wether or Not Weather, and Harmon learns which direction his microphone needs to face.

This episode also brought to you in part by our other podcast Comedy History 101.

Like This is the President? Why not  subscribe to the podcast over at iTunes! Hey - and while you’re there, leave us a comment or rate us!

Don’t cost nothing!

Ronald Reagan and Jed Clampett

it’s just like Mad Men but with Roanld Reagan instead of Don Draper!

Because on this episode of This is the President, we delve into an entirely new collection of presidential recordings - the Ronald Reagan Dictaphone Library. For the kids out there, a dictaphone was a device that you’d use to record letters so your secretary would type them while you were drinking highballs with the newest steno pool employee on your lap. Except not in Reagan’s case. Maybe while Emmanuel Lewis was sitting in Nancy’s lap.

But we digress….

On the morning of March 3, 1981, a newly inagurated Ronald Reagan was recording a number of letters to supporters and well-wishers. One of these well wishers was Buddy Ebsen, better known as Jed Clampett from The Beverly Hillbillies - and a long time Republican.

But Buddy wasn’t just wishing his pal Ronald Reagan have a great presidency - no there was more on Jed Clampett’s agenda. You see, Mr. Ebsen had just produced his first big time play, “Turn to the Left.” And was inviting the President and Nancy to the opening in California.

So, what starts out as a normal letter dictated by Roanld Reagan on March 3, 1981, soon takes a turn, as we discover that shortly after writing ths letter, Reagan tried to pull a few strings for his old friend Jed.

This episode also brought to you in part by our other podcast Comedy History 101.

Like This is the President? Why not  subscribe to the podcast over at iTunes! Hey - and while you’re there, leave us a comment or rate us!

Don’t cost nothing!

Ronald Reagan Bombs the Soviet Union (JK)

Remember that time when President Reagan joked about bombing the Soviet Union and almost started a global thermonuclear war?

Well, if you don’t, you will after you listen to our first remote edition of TITP, broadcasting at you all the way from the land of the Twin Cities - Minnesota! That’s right, Harmon was on vacation, but was so excited to do a TITP episode that we called on the TITP tech team to put their heads together to figure out how we could make this work.

And they did it!

On this episode, Harmon and I will talk about the aforementioned Reagan “joke”, the difference between Minnesota and Wisconsin, and the current goings on in Washington, DC.

Sponsoring this episode is the book Cannabis: The Illegalization of Weed in America by New York Times best selling Author Box Brown. Pick up a copy at Amazon or whereever your buy your favorite books.

This episode also brought to you in part by our other podcast Comedy History 101.

Like This is the President? Why not  subscribe to the podcast over at iTunes! Hey - and while you’re there, leave us a comment or rate us!

Don’t cost nothing!

President Trump Calls Space

“Station, this is your President, do you hear me?”

Thus begins one of the most historic telephone calls to space (as trumpeted by the Trump White House) as President Trump (still painful to say that) has a teleconference with US astronauts in April 2017 to congradulate them on their record setting space stay.

But that’s not all Trump has to say in this phone call, oh no. He also uses the opportunity to talk about great American made products, dealing with politicisna and, of course, the role of his daughter Invanka, as handbag - we mean - sceience advisor.

So pop open a pack of freeze tried ice cream and a tall glass of Tang and settle down to hear this historic phone call for yourself.

And - as promised in the podcast - here’s the video of the event. Be sure to watch the beginning for lots of awkward pauses.

Couple of trivia notes - that’s a picture of Fred Trump, Donny’s dad, on the desk behind him. You know, Fred Trump, the guy who was born in Germany and most certainly wasn’t arrested during a KKK riot in the 1920s.

Also - skip forward to about 18:00 and you’ll see the White House guy mowing the lawn in the background.

Sponsoring this episode is the book Cannabis: The Illegalization of Weed in America by New York Times best selling Author Box Brown. Pick up a copy at Amazon or whereever your buy your favorite books.

This episode also brought to you in part by our other podcast Comedy History 101.

Like This is the President? Why not  subscribe to the podcast over at iTunes! Hey - and while you’re there, leave us a comment or rate us!

Don’t cost nothing!

Michael Jackson and Ronald Reagan

You wanna be starting something?

Then get this Thriller - it’s the Gipper and Michael Jackson appearing together for the very first time on stage.

The date: May 14, 1984
The cause: President Reagan awarded The Gloved One an award for his work on a national campaign against drunk driving

If the thought of President Reagan making a bunch of Michael Jackson references is your bag, then this episode of This is the President is going to be right up your alley. Of course, there’s a lot of Reagan’s speech that kind of comes of creepy here in 2019 after the revelations of Leaving Neverland.

Nonetheless, there’s a job that needs to be done, and Harmon and I are here to do it, as we listen to Reagan’s speech and weigh in with our own interpretations. This, of course, naturally leading to us scouring the internet during the episode for the best (and worst) Michael Jackson jokes.

This episode brought to you in part by our other podcast Comedy History 101.

Like This is the President? Why not  subscribe to the podcast over at iTunes! Hey - and while you’re there, leave us a comment or rate us!

Don’t cost nothing!

The Other Smothers Brother

Happy President’s Day everyone!

I know what you’re thinking - isn’t EVERY DAY President’s Day?

I mean, they get to be the leader of the Free World, they can sign all sorts of bills, they can even declare national emergencies if they don’t get their way. It might seem great, what with all that free Executive Time, but being the President of the United States is tough work. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes.

Let’s take meet and greets, for example. Most Presidents have a meet and greet time slotted into their daily schedules. This is when they get to meet with foreign dignitaries, members of congress, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, the board members of the National Tuirkey Federation - EVERYONE.

Sometimes the President even has to meet with people from the other side of the ideological spectrum. This was the case in point on November 12, 1987 when President Ronald Reagan welcomed the new spokesmen for the Christmas Seals Foundation into his office. All in a day’s work, right? But the irony is that the new spokespeople for Christmas Seals were not other than those 1960s iconoclasts and flaming liberals, The Smothers Brothers!

What happened when the former Governor of California meets his political opposites? Download this episode and see!

As promised in the episode, here’s the bit from the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour where Keith Moon puts too many explosives in his drum kit and blows out Pete Townsend’s eardrums.

This episode brought to you in part by our other podcast Comedy History 101.

Like This is the President? Why not  subscribe to the podcast over at iTunes! Hey - and while you’re there, leave us a comment or rate us!

Don’t cost nothing!

Ich bin ein Jelly Donut?

Walls. Seems like people can’t get enough of them. So in this weeks episode, we’re going to talk about them.

This time, however, we’re going to be talking about a wall that’s no longer around - the Berlin Wall. Well, parts of it are still around and covered with colorful drawings that make it much less frightening than when it was first erected in 1961.

Two years later, President John F. Kennedy made a visit to Berlin and delivered his famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech. But, since then, rumours have been circulating as to the real meaning of the speech. The urban legend has it that what Kennedy actually said was “I am a jelly donut”, as the Berliner was the name given to a local pastry.

So was it true?

In order to help get to the bottom of this mystery, our special guest on this episode is comedian Sandy Wieding, a fourth generation Berlin native and former East German. We’ll talk about the real meaning of “Ich bin ein Berliner”, what type of donuts Germans like and what it was like to grow up as a child in East Berlin.

We’ll also be reviewing the video by German rap group Ufo360, “Ich bin ein Berliner.”

Have a view of the video before you catch the episode so you can see exactly what we’re talking bout.

This episode brought to you in part by our other podcast Comedy History 101.

Like This is the President? Why not  subscribe to the podcast over at iTunes! Hey - and while you’re there, leave us a comment or rate us!

Don’t cost nothing!

Fake News 1968 Style

Don’t think that “Fake News” is solely President Trump’s domain. Oh no….

As we listen in to this weeks phone call, you’ll hear TITP fave President Lyndon B. Johnson bitching about news coverage - even suggesting that a reporter be taken out and shot at one point.

Granted, Johnson was having a pretty tough week. This phone call, taken from February 5, 1968, was recorded during a time when Johnson was under a bit of stress.

Just a few weeks prior, the USS Pueblo, and all it’s crew, were captured in the waters off North Korea (yean, that North Korea) and accused of spying. Then, just a few days before this phone call, the North Vietnamese launched the Tet Offensive, immediately dismissing any notion that the end of the war was anywhere near.

Here’s an interesting bit of trivia that didn’t make it to the podcast - the captured crew of the USS Pueblo later figured out that the North Koreans had no idea what “flipping the bird” meant, so they started doing it in every staged photo taken of them. Here’s a still taken from a propaganda film made by the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea of the Pueblo crew….

So take a few minutes in to listen as LBJ rattles on about the press, easily standing up to anything that President Trump has mouthed off about lately. And the best part - LBJ is talking to a reporter! It’s like getting to listen in to Trump talk to his favorite news reporters from Morning Joe!

Also, we catch up on some of the craziness in Washington and, of course, we go back and visit Trump in the Amazon.

This episode is brought to you in part by Blinkist. 

Blinkist is the only app that takes thousands of the best-selling nonfiction books and
distils them down to their most impactful elements, so you can read or listen to them in
under 15 minutes, all on your phone.

Get started with a FREE seven day trial. along with a 25% discount, for Blinkist today, by clicking here! 

And last, but not least, this episode is also sponsored by Words Over Chair Productions and Comedy History 101.

Like This is the President? Why not  subscribe to the podcast over at iTunes! Hey - and while you’re there, leave us a comment or rate us! Don’t cost nothing!

George HW Bush Has a Crack Attack

June 12, 1985 was vice presidents George H.W. Bush’s special day.

He was turning 61 years young, so the White House staff decided to suprise him with a cake and a couple of special presents.

Which unfortunately didn’t include the bag of crack that President Bush would so proudly hold up to American’s TV screens just a few short years later.

Those are just a couple of the memories that Harmon and I unleash when we talk about our newest dead president, George Herbert Walker Bush.

But that’s not all, in this episode, we also bring back a couple of favorite bits, Harmon’s Presidential Impressions and, of course, we go shopping for Trump products in the Amazon.

Want to share in the party as well? Be sure to watch the video!

This episode is brought to you in part by Blinkist. 

Blinkist is the only app that takes thousands of the best-selling nonfiction books and
distils them down to their most impactful elements, so you can read or listen to them in
under 15 minutes, all on your phone.

Get started with a FREE seven day trial. along with a 25% discount, for Blinkist today, by clicking here! 

And last, but not least, this episode is also sponsored by Words Over Chair Productions and Comedy History 101.

Like This is the President? Why not  subscribe to the podcast over at iTunes! Hey - and while you’re there, leave us a comment or rate us! Don’t cost nothing!

Ronald Reagan, Johnny Cash and Trumpy Bear

It was a fine spring day in May of 1988 when country music (and just plain music in general) legend stopped by the White House to pay his respects to President Ronald Reagan - on their agenda: drugs.

Not the taking, as Johnny points out in this conversation, but rather the stopping thereof.

And that’s only one of the few small conversation nuggets you’ll find in our presidential appearance this week.

Johnny didn’t come alone - no, he brought June Carter Cash with him as well. But what’s surprising is who WASN’T able to make the photo session. Be sure to listen to the podcast to find out who could have made photo history with Reagan in the White House.

Also in this episode, Harmon and I continue our feature “Trump in the Amazon” where we read Amazon reviews and questions about Donald Trump products on Amazon. Up this time - and we swear we didn’t know this was “a thing” before we did this - the Trumpy Bear!

This episode is brought to you in part by Blinkist. 

Blinkist is the only app that takes thousands of the best-selling nonfiction books and
distils them down to their most impactful elements, so you can read or listen to them in
under 15 minutes, all on your phone.

Get started with a FREE seven day trial. along with a 25% discount, for Blinkist today, by clicking here! 

And last, but not least, this episode is also sponsored by Words Over Chair Productions and Comedy History 101.

Like This is the President? Why not  subscribe to the podcast over at iTunes! Hey - and while you’re there, leave us a comment or rate us! Don’t cost nothing!

Election 2018 Special: Ronald Reagan meets Mr. T

Did you vote? No? Then what the hell is wrong with you!

Go now!

Then, once you’re done voting you can settle back and listen in to the glorious sounds of our Election 2018 special!

Harmon did an excellent job of piloting the Presidential Time Portal (tm) to take us back to December of 1983 when two great titans of statesmanship met for the first time - President Ronald Reagan and Rocky III/The A Team star, Mr. T! Yes, this really happened!

Mr. T was at the White House playing - believe it or not - Santa and helping out First Lady Nancy Reagan with her Just Say No to Drugs campaign (of course, this was at the same time when the US Government was importing cocaine from South America but we’ll leave that for another podcast).

So step into the voting booth and back out again into the world of 1983 with today’s edition of This is the President.

Harmon and I will also be discussing some of our predictions for the election and what the outcome could mean for the future of the United States - and the world, the inner workings of the Mr. T doll by Galoob, Rocky III vs. Rocky IV, and, in keeping with the spirit of election day, reading reviews of Trump products on Amazon.

This episode is brought to you in part by Blinkist. 

Blinkist is the only app that takes thousands of the best-selling nonfiction books and
distils them down to their most impactful elements, so you can read or listen to them in
under 15 minutes, all on your phone.

Get started with a FREE seven day trial. along with a 25% discount, for Blinkist today, by clicking here! 

This episode also brought to you in part by Plowdypod - the think tank that answers the questions that nobody asked, like “Would you rather be Trump’s wife or Putin’s mistress?” Check it out and subscribe on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

And last, but not least, this episode is also sponsored by Words Over Chair Productions and Comedy History 101.

Like This is the President? Why not  subscribe to the podcast over at iTunes! Hey - and while you’re there, leave us a comment or rate us! Don’t cost nothing!

The October Surprise Redux

It’s that time of year, everyone - there’s a brisk wind in the air, the leaves are changing colors, pumpkins sprout on every porch and something batshit crazy happens during the elections.

I’m talking, of course, about the dreaded October Surprise!

The odd thing is that we had cut this episode together BEFORE the recent events in the United States - so we’re going to have to talk about that insanity in the next episode. This time, however, Harmon sets the Presidential Time Portal (tm) for 1964, the year of LBJ’s first “official” presidential election.

That year, the White House was rocked by the Walter Jenkins scandal, where one of LBJ’s most trusted aides was arrested by the Washington, DC police force while trying to “make friends” in a YMCA bathroom.

We’ve covered this story in a previous podcast, but without Harmon, so I wanted to get his whole take on these events. We’ll also discuss the meaning of Rocktober and why Metallica is mandatory.

In the Durham, North Carolina area? Be sure to catch Harmon at Storyfest!

And last, but not least, this episode is also sponsored by Words Over Chair Productions and Comedy History 101.

Like This is the President? Why not  subscribe to the podcast over at iTunes! Hey - and while you’re there, leave us a comment or rate us! Don’t cost nothing!

Making the President Funny

Especially after the events of the past few days, it’s hard to believe that there are people who are paid to make the president funny. Does the current White House resident, for example, really need people to write jokes for him when he’s hanging out with Kanye?

It turns out sometimes they do.

Which brings us to this weeks episode. This time around, we interview David Litt. Mr. Litt was a head speechwriter for the Obama White House and charged with the task of making the president a funny man. He’s recently written a memoir of his White House years, Thanks Obama: My Hopey, Changey White House Years and shared some of his thoughts on the challenges of writing for Kanye’s newest BFF.

But that’s not all! Oh no. Harmon and Scott will also analyze the Trump Kayne summit, Harmon expresses his love for Steely Dan and Scott helps to correct the historical record on the drunkenness of General (and later President) Grant.

Like what you hear? You can listen to the whole interview over at our sister podcast, Comedy HIstory 101.

This episode is brought to you by Blinkist. 

Blinkist is the only app that takes thousands of the best-selling nonfiction books and
distils them down to their most impactful elements, so you can read or listen to them in
under 15 minutes, all on your phone.

Get started with a FREE seven day trial. along with a 25% discount, for Blinkist today, by clicking here! 

We’d also like to welcome a new sponsor on board, The Political Research Digest. The Political Research Digest delivers fresh insights on the big trends driving American politics and policy today.

Each 20-minute episode explores one hot topic in the news with two political scientists who have just published relevant empirical studies. Hear about their new discoveries and get important insights that are lost in the daily news shuffle.

Download the Political Research Digest with your favorite podcast app today!

And last, but not least, this episode is also sponsored by Words Over Chair Productions and Comedy History 101.

Like This is the President? Why not  subscribe to the podcast over at iTunes! Hey - and while you’re there, leave us a comment or rate us! Don’t cost nothing!

The Justice Abe Fortas Pornographic Film Festival

Well, well….and how was YOUR weekend?

Our long national nightmare is now over and we’ve got a shiny new Bro-Judge installed on the Supreme Court. A “non-partisan” judge who starts waving around conspiracy theories at the drop of a hat (ie: let’s all blame the Clintons). Well, this is going to be fun.

But don’t worry - we here at This is the President will be right here by your side. In today’s episode, we wanted to take a look at another controversial Supreme Court appointment - this one from 50 years ago. It was the summer of 1968 when President Johnson decided to throw his weight behind nominating his pal Abe Fortas as the Head Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Let’s just say that the Senate was not amused - so much so to the point that they forced Fortas to testify before them. The first time in history that a judge from the Supreme Court was called in this manner - sound familiar?

Download this episode to listen in on Fortas advising President Johnson on exactly what type of book he needed to take his oath of office on and how the Johnson’s walked away with a little souvenir after that fateful day in Dallas, Texas in November, 1963.

We’ll also hear from Senator Strom Thurmond with his opinions on Fortas and discuss the Abe Fortas Film Festival that Thurmond threw on the floor of the Senate.

ALSO - Check out our newest segment - Amazon Reviews of Donald Trump products!

This episode brought to you in part by Plowdypod - the think tank that answers the questions that nobody asked, like “Would you rather be Trump’s wife or Putin’s mistress?” Check it out and subscribe on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

We’d also like welcome our returning sponsor, The Political Research Digest. The Political Research Digest delivers fresh insights on the big trends driving American politics and policy today.

Each 20-minute episode explores one hot topic in the news with two political scientists who have just published relevant empirical studies. Hear about their new discoveries and get important insights that are lost in the daily news shuffle.

Download the Political Research Digest with your favorite podcast app today!

Oh yeah - let’s also not forget to mention  Words Over Chair Productions and Comedy History 101.

Like This is the President? Why not  subscribe to the podcast over at iTunes! Hey - and while you’re there, leave us a comment or rate us! Don’t cost nothing!

Of Playboys and Beer

As Harmon so eloquently puts it in this episode - hard to believe that so many bat-shit crazy things happened this week WITHOUT Trump.

Indeed, my friend, indeed.

The major batshit crazy thing that happened last week was, of course, the Kavanaugh Supreme Court hearings in Washington, DC. In just a few short hours, “Renate Alumnus”, “Devil’s Triangle” and “I like beer” soon became catchphrases around The Swamp.

Scott and Harmon take the time to discuss their impressions of what President Trump called a “trauma” and add in their thoughts, and try to come up with some catchprases of their own.

For comparison with the “trauma” of the Kavanaugh hearings, Harmon and Scott dial the Presidential Time Portal (tm) back to 1971, to listen in to a phone call between Richard Nixon and Attorney General John Mitchell. In this (surprisingly good quality) phone call, Nixon and Mitchell as they discuss their current pick for the vacant Supreme Court seat - Senator Howard Baker. Is Baker up to the task? Or is he just a playboy with a jackass record? Listen in and decide for yourself!

This episode is brought to you in part by Blinkist. 

Blinkist is the only app that takes thousands of the best-selling nonfiction books and
distils them down to their most impactful elements, so you can read or listen to them in
under 15 minutes, all on your phone.

Get started with a FREE seven day trial. along with a 25% discount, for Blinkist today, by clicking here! 

We’d also like to welcome a new sponsor on board, The Political Research Digest. The Political Research Digest delivers fresh insights on the big trends driving American politics and policy today.

Each 20-minute episode explores one hot topic in the news with two political scientists who have just published relevant empirical studies. Hear about their new discoveries and get important insights that are lost in the daily news shuffle.

Download the Political Research Digest with your favorite podcast app today!

Oh yeah - let’s also not forget to mention  Words Over Chair Productions and Comedy History 101.

Like This is the President? Why not  subscribe to the podcast over at iTunes! Hey - and while you’re there, leave us a comment or rate us! Don’t cost nothing!

Getting the Led Out with Dick and Beto

Things just keep getting weirder and weirder.

One week we’ve got a description of the president’s penis from a porn star, the next we’ve got a Texas candidate for Senate referencing the Clash. As the Chinese saying goes, “May you live in interesting times.”

And an interesting time indeed is what Harmon and Scott have on this latest episode of This is the President. We’ll touch on the highlight from the Texas senate debates, the onset of fall, the ubiquity of “Getting the Led Out” across the globe and wrap it all up with a look back at some recently unearthed Nixon conversations from 1972 where the president is discussing his vaunted debating skills.

This episode is brought to you by Blinkist. 

Blinkist is the only app that takes thousands of the best-selling nonfiction books and
distils them down to their most impactful elements, so you can read or listen to them in
under 15 minutes, all on your phone.

Get started with a FREE seven day trial. along with a 25% discount, for Blinkist today, by clicking here! 

This episode is also sponsored by Words Over Chair Productions and Comedy History 101.

Like This is the President? Why not  subscribe to the podcast over at iTunes! Hey - and while you’re there, leave us a comment or rate us! Don’t cost nothing!

Fear and Loathing in Crazytown

So legendary reporter Bob Woodward’s book about the Trump presidency is released on September 11 - do you think they’re trying to tell us something?

I didn’t ever thank we’d get an actual President Trump phone call on this podcast - at least, not while he was in office, but, sometimes history works in mysterious ways.

In this episode of This is the President, Harmon and I will be discussing some of the best parts of the recent Bob Woodward/President Trump tape that was released recently. We’re almost on top of the news cycle!

But presidential hatred of reporters and The Washington Post is nothing new, as you’ll hear when we listen in on what President Nixon has to say about journalists as we take the Presidential Time Portal back to 1972.

We’ve even updated our opening song with brand, spanking new Trump sound bites.

This is one episode you don’t want to miss!

This episode is brought to you by Blinkist. 

Blinkist is the only app that takes thousands of the best-selling nonfiction books and
distils them down to their most impactful elements, so you can read or listen to them in
under 15 minutes, all on your phone.

Get started with a FREE seven day trial. along with a 25% discount, for Blinkist today, by clicking here! 

This episode is also sponsored by Words Over Chair Productions and Comedy History 101.

Like This is the President? Why not  subscribe to the podcast over at iTunes! Hey - and while you’re there, leave us a comment or rate us! Don’t cost nothing!

Omarosa Unhinged

Hey everyone, we're back!

What'd we miss? Anything? lol. 

Well, turns out we did miss only one of the first times that President Trump has been actually recorded on tape,, which is kind of the premise of this here podcast.

Whoops. 

So we're playing catch up now, which is why we've brought you an episode packed with nothing but Omarosa goodness. Things are really starting to get ugly in the Trump White House, as everyone  has turned to covertly taping each other in order to save their own asses.

Really, who could blame them?  

Also,  just for the record, I have to reiterate that, until a few episodes ago, I really had no idea who Omarosa was. I've never seen an episode of The Apprentice, other than bits of the celebrity one with Meatloaf. 

Also, Harmon and Scott discuss the state of the missing presidential portraits at the US border and attempt to do English/Scottish accents. 

This episode is brought to you by Blinkist. 

Blinkist is the only app that takes thousands of the best-selling nonfiction books and
distils them down to their most impactful elements, so you can read or listen to them in
under 15 minutes, all on your phone.

Get started with a FREE seven day trial. along with a 25% discount, for Blinkist today, by clicking here! 

This episode is also brought to you by Words Over Chair Productions and Comedy History 101.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast over at iTunes! 

Nixon and Trump Want Cash

I think we're now through the looking glass people.

We've now got the "President" on tape talking to his personal lawyer about funneling cash money into a private corporation to buy someone's silence. And the worst part? Nobody seems to care. 

The even worse part? THIS EXACT SAME THING HAS HAPPENED BEFORE. Nearly 50 years ago, President Nixon was discussion the very same issue with his own personal lawyer, John Dean. Only this time an actual amount of money was mentioned - $1,000,000 in 1972 dollars, which is almost $6,000,000 today. Whew. That's a lot of greenbacks. 

And we all know, they are only two organizations who routinely turn to cash to organize their business transactions: the mafia and drug lords. Which one was Nixon and which one is Trump. Listen to the tape and YOU make the call. 

In addition, Harmon and I will be discussing the brutal heat of a New York summer and Harmon will also give details of where you can see him at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival throughout August. 

This episode is brought to you by Words Over Chair Productions and Comedy History 101.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast over at iTunes! 

Trump Korea Nixon China

This past week, President Trump finally had his day in the diplomatic spotlight when he hosted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un  and declared that North Korea was "no longer a nuclear threat."

Of course, there was no verifiable proof that the North Koreans had done anything along those lines, but really that's no longer a surprise coming from the Commander in Cheeto. 

So we thought this was a perfect opportunity here at This is the President to look at a similar moment in history - when President Nixon announced on July 15, 1971 that he would be scheduling a meeting with the leaders of the People's Republic of China to normalise relations between the two countries. 

But this wasn't a sudden event from out of the blue. Nixon's team had been working on this proposal for months. In addition, the Ping Pong Diplomacy incident helped move detente between the two nations quickly forward. This episode features a pair of Nixon phone calls from April, 1971, including one where Nixon mentions the Ping Pong incident, and another from the same day between Henry Kissenger and Nixon where they discuss the China diplomatic moves and Nixon's love of classical music is on full display. 

Harmon and Scott also discuss some of the motivations behind North Korea's appearance at the bargaining table and how the Master of the Deal might be getting mastered behind his back and the 1980s.  

This episode is brought to you by Words Over Chair Productions and Comedy History 101.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast over at iTunes!