lindsay chervinsky, ej and the presidency. guest: age is a challenging subject because people don't age the same, everyone ages differently. nancy pelosi is 84 and she is still sharp as a tack, no one would doubt her efficacy and her position. and of course age can change rapidly. a conversation that took place with someone last year may not necessarily apply to this year. in terms of competency to stand trial, i'm a doctor but not that kind. i wouldn't want to presume to say whether someone is or is not competent to stand trial. that was actually not what special counsel hur said. he said he felt like he would be too sympathetic to the jury because the jury would conclude that he is an old man with a poor memory which is a different legal distinction. in terms of age and the presidency, that is something worth talking about. i don't know that we want to put age limits on something because it can be a very personal thing. but this is a relatively modern conversation. through most of the 19th century, health was so unpredictabl

lindsay chervinsky, ej and the presidency. guest: age is a challenging subject because people don't age the same, everyone ages differently. nancy pelosi is 84 and she is still sharp as a tack, no one would doubt her efficacy and her position. and of course age can change rapidly. a conversation that took place with someone last year may not necessarily apply to this year. in terms of competency to stand trial, i'm a doctor but not that kind. i wouldn't want to presume to say whether someone is or is not competent to stand trial. that was actually not what special counsel hur said. he said he felt like he would be too sympathetic to the jury because the jury would conclude that he is an old man with a poor memory which is a different legal distinction. in terms of age and the presidency, that is something worth talking about. i don't know that we want to put age limits on something because it can be a very personal thing. but this is a relatively modern conversation. through most of the 19th century, health was so unpredictabl

host: with us this morning is lindsay chervinsky, executive director director of the george washington presidential library at mount vernon. about 15, 20 minutes for you to call in. phone number explained as usual. democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. john is in buffalo, new york. independent read good morning. caller: good morning. i have something to piggyback off of this topic and i think it is relevant because when we are stuck with right now in this election of the vice president

[chanting] reelection, lindsay chervinsky, director of the george washington presidential library at mount vernon. first explain what this decision by joe biden looks like through the eyes of an historian. guest:

also thrilled to have with one of the finest of the new generation of presidential historian lindsay chervinsky. lindsay is a senior fellow at the center for presidential history at southern methodist university. she is also the of the award winning book, the cabinet. george washington and the creation of the american institution and. the coeditor of morning the president's loss and legacy in american culture. and she's working on a new book that will be coming out. published by oxford university press titled making the presidents john adams and the precedents that forged the republic. welcome to both of you. i'm really looking forward to our conversation today. but before we get started just a quick note to our audience. we are we welcome your questions. so if you look at the bottom of your screen there's a a q a function. if you would send your questions. i will do my best to either work them in the course of the conversation or save them until the end of the show. so let's get started. stephen so for the past 40 years, i have been telling my students that if you want to understand the presid

we have a question from our friend lindsay chervinsky of the has to adhere to an ethics code. i wonder if he'd like to see his colleagues on the supreme court adhere to similar standards who've i'm not going to touch that high on. i will say that let me just say let me just tell you what my rule is. well, first of all, it's never been tested with an offer of private planes or luxury yachts. no, nobody's nobody's offered me that. i did i did in a amateur acting experi. it's get $500 and i put it on my financial disclosure form. i did that. but my own personal rule for recusals is simple. if i have to think about it for more than about 5 minutes, i recuse myself. it's that simple. if it isn't clear, i think the integrity of the courts, at least for my perspective, depend on being not sitting on the case. now it's easier for me to say that than a supreme court justice because we sit in panels. and so if i don't sit someone else can sit. and so i take the argument that that that that recusals on the supreme court are different. but there is no difference when it comes to financial

. >> reporter: lindsay chervinsky is the executive director of the george washington presidential library a presidential historian. >> anytime there has been a female candidate, whether it's all the way back to the early 1900s up through hillary clinton, many of the attacks can be gender-based. >> kamala harris, oh. >> reporter: as trump has already proven. >> did you see her last night on television with the laugh? ha, ha, ha. >> we have double standards for women in public life and the same for non-white candidates. look, i think that they're going to use every kind of racial, gender dog whistle that they can come up with. >> how will she have to respond to that? >> the easy answer to that is "i've never been in a courtroom with someone i was prosecuting who had a lot of nice things to say about me." >> hear me when i say i know donald trump's type. >> reporter: prosecutor versus felon has become a meme. >> lock him up! >> reporter: haven't we heard that line from donald trump? >> lock her up! >> incidentally -- >> reporter: looking back from the vantage point of history, sometimes a ca

. >> reporter: lindsay chervinsky is the executive director of the george washington presidential libraryack to the early 1900s up through hillary clinton, many of the attacks can be gender based. >> kamala harris, oh. >> reporter: as trump has already proven. >> did you see her last night on television with the laugh? >> we have double standards for twi women in public life and the same for non-white candidates. i think they will use every kind of racial gender dog whistle they can come up with. >> reporter: how will she have to respond to that? >> the easy answer is, i have never been in a courtroom with someone i was prosecting who had a lot of nice things to say about me. >> hear me when i say i know donald trump's type. >> reporter: prosecutor versus felon has become a meme. haven't we heard that line from donald trump? >>, incidentally -- >> reporter: looking back from the vantage point of history, sometimes a catchphrase or a moment can alter the perception of a candidate or a race. >> i disagree with senator kennedy -- >> reporter: example, a sweaty scowling richard nixon versus a

i spoke with lindsay m chervinsky, a presidential historian.nnouncement today? thanks for having me. today, i'm thinking about the selfless act putting country above self that present biden executed today in making this decision. joe biden has been a consequential president and today i am focusing on his legacy and his historic work on behalf of the american people. manic! behalf of the american people. would ou like to behalf of the american people. would you like to hear _ behalf of the american people. would you like to hear from _ behalf of the american people. would you like to hear from him _ behalf of the american people. would you like to hear from him today, i - you like to hearfrom him today, i mean this announcement came on x, rather than any kind of press conference or any kind of statement. he put forward a letter, a very thoughtful letter, that reflects his thinking, and i anticipate over the coming days we will hear from present biden directly. i was just with him last tuesday in nevada, campaigning, and he knows how important it

joining me live lindsay m chervinsky, a presidential historian.rom joe biden. thank you for having me. it's an extraordinaryj having me. it�*s an extraordinary moment and it takes a lot of ego to believe that you can be president, and believe you are the right person to make the incredibly difficult choices that come with office, so thatis choices that come with office, so that is a requirement, and it is extremely rare for people to actually set that aside. we have only seen it happen a few times, truman and lyndonjohnson are the examples that come to mind, and those were much earlier in the year, so this is really an extraordinary moment regarding politics. there has been much from _ moment regarding politics. there has been much from the _ moment regarding politics. there has been much from the republican - moment regarding politics. there has been much from the republican partyj been much from the republican party for him to step down as president entirely, which would also be rather unprecedented. it entirely, which would also be rather unpre