The Last Politician

Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future

By: Franklin Foer

Narrated by: Sean Patrick Hopkins, Franklin Foer

Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

The New York Times bestseller

Franklin Foer tells the definitive insider story of the first two years of the Biden presidency, with exclusive access to Biden’s longtime team of advisers, and presents a gripping portrait of a president during this momentous time in our nation’s history.

"You might love Biden or you might hate Biden, but either way, if you want to understand him, you will want to buy this book."—Politico

“A triumph of reporting.”—Geoff Bennett, PBS NewsHour

“Deeply reported . . . a terrific read.”—Chuck Todd, Meet the Press

“Fantastic . . . The first real insider account of the Biden White House and a fascinating read about Biden himself.”—Jon Favreau, Pod Save America

On January 20, 2021, standing where only two weeks earlier police officers had battled with right-wing paramilitaries, Joe Biden took his oath of office. The American people were still sick with COVID-19, his economists were already warning him of an imminent financial crisis, and his party, the Democrats, had the barest of majorities in the Senate. Yet, faced with an unprecedented set of crises, Joe Biden decided he would not play defense. Instead, he set out to transform the nation. He proposed the most ambitious domestic spending bills since the 1960s and vowed to withdraw American forces from Afghanistan, ending the nation’s longest war and reorienting it toward a looming competition with China.

With unparalleled access to the tight inner circle of advisers who have surrounded Biden for decades, Franklin Foer dramatizes in forensic detail the first two years of the Biden presidency, concluding with the historic midterm elections. The result is a gripping and high-definition portrait of a major president at a time when democracy itself seems imperiled. With his back to the wall, Biden resorted to old-fashioned politics: deal-making and compromise. It was a gamble that seemed at first disastrously anachronistic, as he struggled to rally even the support of his own party. Yet, as the midterms drew near, via a series of bills with banal names, Biden somehow found a way to invest trillions of dollars in clean energy, the domestic semiconductor industry, and new infrastructure. Had he done the impossible―breaking decisively with the old Washington consensus to achieve progressive goals?

The Last Politician is a landmark work of political reporting—which includes thrilling, blow-by-blow insider reports of the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan and the White House’s swift response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine—that is destined to shape history’s view of a president in the eye of the storm.

©2023 Franklin Foer (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"We’ve read every Biden book, and Foer’s is by far the best study of Biden since Richard Ben Cramer’s What it Takes. You might love Biden or you might hate Biden, but either way, if you want to understand him, you will want to buy this book." —Politico

“Outstanding . . . The Biden presidency is a reminder of why politics matters, why political skills matter, including the dark, sometimes ugly arts of getting legislation passed, often through painful compromise.” —Jonathan Freedland, The Guardian

“Finally–a hard, honest look at Joe Biden . . . Foer’s book is not hagiography, but it’s not hate-mongering, either. It’s an honest assessment of Biden as politician and president, his strengths and weaknesses, where he has delivered and where he has not.” —Bill Press, The Hill

Mostly foreign policy based

I was hoping for more about the Inflation Reduction Act, the 2022 midterms, or the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. There’s a good amount in here about the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, that was interesting, but mostly it’s about failures in Afghanistan and successes in Ukraine. Those are interesting subjects, but I would be very interested in a book focused more on domestic achievements.

The truth about who Joe really is

Forget the facile media narrative of Joe Biden being senile: he's the most competent and effective president of the last 40 years, maybe of my lifetime.

Insightful look in the first 2 of years of the Biden admin

Would’ve loved a deeper dive—all in all great book, fairly surface level look in the admin

Enlightening to a conservative

America makes it open season on any President, regardless of political persuasion. I, like many are concerned about his age. To listen to the nuts and bolts exercise of our power is to peer deeper. Regardless of our personal politics, we should be rooting for the man to survive and make careful choices. I admire and revere the Office of the Presidency.

An in-depth biography of Biden at a key moment

Frank Foer does a great job bringing readers into the White House, behind the scenes for the key decisions of Biden’s first two years. It’s an excellent window through which to judge the new president in a role for the ages; the ideal ideal frame to see Bidens’s legislative accomplishments and the prosecution of the Ukraine war.

Pap

I knew going in this was an “approved” retelling. What I had hoped for was for some objectivity to slip through. I found none.

Superb insight and critical counter to mainstream narrative

Superb insight and critical counter to the mainstream narrative promulgated by oligarch-owned corporate media that has brought American democracy to the brink.

A testament to the dignity, compassion, and power of true public service.

A must-read, share, and discuss.

Superb

Well written and well read. So refreshing to read something with true depth of understanding of this extraordinary public servant. Sadly, selfless public service is becoming extinct in this country. I hope more people can learn from this example and choose to emulate it.

Politics Joe Biden style

It was good to get a peak at the inner workings of the Biden administration. The book looks at both the victories and defeats of the administration. It focuses on how Joe Biden processes and handles conundrums and works towards negotiated solutions. It helps one understand the nuances of the process and leaves one with a deeper appreciation of President Biden.

A great biography of a president who has been one of our very best

President Biden has been grossly underestimated throughout his entire presidency. Rarely has has a president been challenged with foreign, political, and domestic problems that have risen to this level of danger to our Democracy. Biden has outperformed the predictions of every pundit who carps about his age and his imperfect performances as an orator. The author shows us how shallow such traits are in comparison to the far more important abilities to exercise wisdom, honesty, diplomacy and outstanding leadership in the face of several once in a lifetime threats to the continuance of our democracy as we know it.