Mike Purdy's Presidential History Blog
Presidential Humanity
Presidents are human, just like everyone and deal with a variety of uncertainties and emotions in life. Abraham Lincoln suffered from chronic depression most of his life yet rose above it to become our greatest president. Franklin Pierce saw his 11 year-old son killed...
Trump Subpoena: History Shows It’s Not So Unprecedented
The House Jan. 6 select committee forged new territory with its vote to issue a subpoena to former President Donald Trump for documents and testimony related to role in the Capitol insurrection. This is the first time a congressional subpoena has been issued to a...
The Reasons Why Trump May Have Withheld Documents
In this TV interview with Lindsay Tuchman of Newsy, I talk about the significance and unprecedented nature of the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago and answer the question why Trump might have kept the documents and not turned them over to the National Archives. Click here to...
How Old is Too Old to be President?
Joe Biden is the oldest man to occupy the Oval Office. He broke the record previously set by Donald Trump. Both are likely candidates for president in 2024. How old is too old to be president? It's a question we should address as a nation. I wrote an opinion article...
My New Book – Presidential Friendships: How They Changed History
My new book, Presidential Friendships: How They Changed History, is now available for preorder through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, and your local bookstore. It will be released by the publisher on August 3, 2022. Presidential Friendships: How They Changed...
America’s Audacious Independence
My opinion article setting Independence Day in historical context was published on TheHill.com. Here's an excerpt from the beginning of the article: "It was an audacious and brave statement. On July 4, 1776, 56 men adopted what we now know as the Declaration of...
Whistle-stop Campaign
In 1948, President Harry S Truman defied all odds in winning a term as president in his own right with his shocking upset victory over New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey. No one, pollsters, pundits, or the people expected Truman to win. No one, except Truman himself....
Do You Know Where the Vice President Lives?
We all know the President lives in the White House at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. But what about the Vice President? Are they left to fend for themself? For most of our nation's history, that was the case. With each new Vice President, new security features were...
6 Things Former Presidents Aren’t Allowed to Do After Leaving Office
Reader's Digest asked me to contribute to an article on things former presidents aren't allow to do after leaving office. I wrote about three things a former president may not do: Violate the law Sell or share classified information Two-termers may not run for...
Tense Transitions of Presidential Power
Our nation is in the midst of one of the most unusual transitions of presidential power, as the sitting president refuses to concede, is filing multiple lawsuits claiming widespread voter fraud, and attempting to influence what electors are selected in key states for...
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About Mike
Mike Purdy is a presidential historian and author living in Seattle, Washington. As an expert in presidential history, Mike runs PresidentialHistory.com as a public resource.