‘The Hidden History of the White House’ dives into presidential secrets

That’s one of the many realities Corey Mead uncovers in his new book, “The Hidden History of the White House: Power Struggles, Scandals, and Defining Moments,” which looks at the experience of living in the U.S. president’s residence. In addition to his work as an author, Mead is an associate professor of English at City University of New York’s Baruch College. On Tuesday, ABC News’ Stephanie Ramos talked to Mead about writing the book in an election year, where the Obama administration got the sandwiches to eat while they monitored the operation to hunt down Osama bin Laden and the horrible conditions some residents have had to endure. “The Hidden History of the White House: Power Struggles, Scandals, and Defining Moments,” 2024, by Corey Mead. William Morrow ABC NEWS: Our next guest takes readers on what goes on behind the scenes of some of the most defining moments in American history, right inside the People’s House, where it all happens. Corey Mead’s new book, “The Hidden History of the White House: Power Struggles, Scandals, and Defining Moments,” is inspired by Wondery’s chart-topping American History Tellers podcast, which is known for its immersive signature style of putting the listeners in the story, experiencing that history. MEAD: Thanks so much for having me Stephanie, appreciate it. MEAD: Well, I mean, in terms of wanting to write the book, it was a partnership with American History Tellers, this podcast. And so their thought was in an election year when everybody’s thinking about who’s going to be the next occupant of the White House, or most people are thinking about that, what about giving some context to the personalities that occupied the White House, the nature of the White House itself, some of the building. And then, it’s this incredible place where, within these four walls, people have experiences that they don’t have anywhere else. Nobody else in history has these experiences, so it’s incredible. So in terms of picking or finding the stories, I mean, there could be, we could have done God knows how many volumes of this book because every story that happens in there are so incredible. ABC NEWS: Yeah, it’s so interesting and it’s smart to do it around this time, leading into an election. In the last chapter of the book, you shared details about the SEAL team operation to assassinate Osama bin Laden. MEAD: It was funny, That’s the chapter that I was actually the most familiar with beforehand. But the idea with the way to tell the stories of all the chapters, including that one, was to kind of tell it in this immersive, you-are-there way. Or that famous photograph where they all look kind of stricken — I don’t know if I ever knew this — it was taken because one of the helicopters actually crashed, one of the SEAL helicopters. They were trying to clip the wings, they couldn’t hover the way they were supposed to. So for all they knew, the entire operation had just gone south and was a disaster. So it’s those kinds of human moments, like in that chapter, that really open it up, I think. President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and members of the national security team receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House, May 1, 2011. Pete Souza/The White House via Getty Images ABC NEWS: Yeah, that’s really eye-opening. And also you weave in so many different stories, like Andrew Jackson’s 1829 inauguration. MEAD: I was really shocked, over and over again, at how completely decrepit the White House has been at many times in its history. I mean, it’s rat-infested; apparently it still is. Like, for example, when Harry Truman moved in and his wife Bess, and his child Margaret, in the 1950s, I mean, literally threadbare carpets, curtains hanging by a thread, the floors when you would walk would rotate like this because they were so wobbly. You know, there were massive chandeliers wobbling over people’s heads during receptions. And finally it all came to a head when Margaret Truman, his daughter, was playing her piano and the piano plunged through the floor because the floors were in such bad shape. So I really, you know, you have this exterior image of the White House as being so fancy and I think they try to keep the reception rooms nice. ABC NEWS: Well, congratulations. ABC NEWS: It seems like a fascinating book, very excited to read it. ABC NEWS: “The Hidden History of the White House” is available wherever books are sold. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/hidden-history-white-house-dives-presidential-secrets/story?id=113177155