The Last Politician

“How will the history of the Biden administration be written: as the turning point when America began to heal or as a hiatus between moments of deadlock and adversity? Franklin Foer’s The Last Politician, an account of Biden’s first two years in office, is the first draft of an answer. It has the makings of high drama. Crisis follows crisis . . . Foer’s book is above all a psychodrama of America’s political class.” —Adam Tooze, The New York Times Book Review “Journalist Franklin Foer's new book, The Last Politician, tells the story of a presidency 50 years in the making, diving deep into President Biden's life and career. The book also explores the workings of Biden's current administration and searches for answers on who Biden really is behind the scenes.” —CBS News “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 “Compelling . . . [Foer] offers a more vivid and comprehensive rendering of the scenes we already knew, while introducing a few that we didn’t . . . provides plenty of discrete insights into the Biden presidency.” —New York Magazine “[M]eticulously researched and consistently insightful . . . In Foer’s retelling—based on nearly 300 interviews rather than cherry-picked news clips—Biden’s old-school virtues of political patience and flexibility have paid major dividends as he has pulled off a string of legislative victories on Capitol Hill almost worthy of Lyndon Johnson.” —New Republic “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 “A detailed study of the first two years of Joe Biden’s presidency.” —The American Prospect “A really good read, lovely writing and great reporting . . . Highly recommended.” —Jake Tapper, The Lead with Jake Tapper “Based on interviews with nearly 300 people in the inner circle of the Biden administration, as well as abundant published sources and government records, Atlantic staff writer Foer offers a brisk, detailed history of the president’s first two years in office, a crucial period that saw blunders and triumphs, deft maneuvering and lucky breaks . . . Overall, the author creates a respectful portrait of a savvy, dedicated politician.” —Kirkus Reviews “Drawing on interviews with policymakers and writing in whip-smart, evocative prose, Foer presents a canny insider’s account of Washington, full of backroom wrangling and posturing.” —Publishers Weekly