The Obama Presidency
as told by 450+ officials, activists, organizers, and extraordinary people from all walks of life.
Sylvia Burwell
OMB Director and HHS Secretary
Tom Harkin
US Senator from Iowa
Cecile Richards
Planned Parenthood President
Nancy-Ann DeParle
White House Deputy Chief of Staff
Lisa Jackson
EPA Administrator
Neera Tanden
Health Policy Advisor
Michael Minor
Pastor and Healthcare Advocate
Arun Majumdar
ARPA-E Director
Robert Trapp
Newspaper Publisher and Correspondent
Steven Chu
Secretary of Energy
Bill McKibben
Environmental Activist
Sandra Fluke
Reproductive Health Advocate
Christy Goldfuss
Environmental Policy Official
Don Verrilli
Solicitor General
Elizabeth Fowler
Health Policy Official
Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary of Health and Human Services
Art and Helen Tanderup
Farmers
Todd Stern
Special Envoy
Nancy Nielsen
American Medical Association President
Aneesh Chopra
US Chief Technology Officer
Sylvia Burwell
OMB Director and HHS Secretary
43 Interviews released
Explore a special preview of interviews related to climate, energy, the environment, and healthcare.
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Since 2019, Incite at Columbia University has interviewed hundreds of people to produce the official oral history of the Obama presidency. These in-depth interviews, conducted with those inside and outside of the administration, represent roughly 1,100 hours of audio and video that together form a comprehensive record of the Obama years.
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Each oral history interview contains dozens of stories. Explore these stories through prepared playlists—or save stories to make your own.
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| Discussion on water rights and infrastructure during Obama and Biden administrations | Joe Del Bosque | 02:50 | go to the interview |
| Comparative effectiveness research funding in the Recovery Act and its politicization | Peter Orszag | 03:04 | go to the interview |
| President Obama's unexpected entry at the Copenhagen climate meeting | Carol Browner | 03:25 | go to the interview |
| Reaction to Natoma's letter reaching President Obama and its impact on healthcare reform | Connie Anderson | 01:23 | go to the interview |
| Chairing the Food Safety Working Group with Secretary Tom Vilsack | Kathleen Sebelius | 03:12 | go to the interview |
| Reaction to Scott Brown's election and the debate over healthcare legislation size | Kathleen Sebelius | 04:09 | go to the interview |
| Communicating the benefits of the ACA to uninsured individuals | John Mier | 02:40 | go to the interview |
| Preparation for ARPA-E confirmation hearings and understanding congressional relations | Arun Majumdar | 03:45 | go to the interview |
| Balancing White House responsibilities with family life | Christy Goldfuss | 02:20 | go to the interview |
| Early interest in public service and internship with Senator Tom Daschle | Peter Orszag | 03:53 | go to the interview |
From healthcare to the financial crisis to nuclear nonproliferation, each topic explored in this collection is brought to life by narrators from both inside and outside the Obama administration.
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go to the Climate, Environment, and Energy
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Navigate the interconnected events and places that make up this history, narrated by the stories of the people who lived it.
2009-17 Timeline
Map
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May 31 2023
What a New Oral History Reveals About Obama, and the Tradeoffs He Made - Peter Baker in The New York Times.
News
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May 31 2023
An Expansive View Into Obama’s Transformative Presidency - Caroline Harting in Columbia News.
News
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May 31 2023
3:30 PM The Obama Presidency Inside-Out: A Conversation About Climate - New York City
On May 31, 2023, we gathered in New York City to celebrate the completion of the Obama Presidency Oral History project's fieldwork.
Event
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