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Paste BN in the Oval Office

Nicole Fallert   Paste BN

Paste BN Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page has been reporting on U.S. presidents since 1979. She sat down to interview the commanders in chief six times in the Oval Office and once on Air Force One.

But her latest trip to the highest seat of power felt different: In early January, President Joe Biden spoke with her at the White House about policy, politics, his family and his legacy for nearly an hour. Normally, the head of state would only give a journalist about 20 minutes. The president himself greeted Page at the door to the Oval Office and offered her a cookie wrapped in packaging with the presidential seal. That set the tone: The president wanted to talk.

"I've been going to the White House for a really long time, and it's still a thrill to go to the West Wing," Page said. "Let's be clear about how unusual this interview was. Biden has done fewer than any other president. The fact the interview took place was remarkable, let alone that it lasted almost an hour."

👋 Nicole Fallert here and welcome to Your Week, our newsletter exclusively for Paste BN subscribers (that's you!). This week, we talk with Susan Page about her exclusive sit-down at the White House weeks ahead of the inauguration of a new president.

Here are a few more headlines I've read this week from Paste BN:

A cookie at the Oval Office door

Why was Biden so generous with his time (and desserts)? Though Page can't read his mind, she believes the White House decided to give Paste BN this insider conversation because of the unique reach of the Paste BN Network, which includes more than 250 newsrooms across the country with a diverse range of readers (like you!).

"We don't just circulate in Washington and New York," Page said. "We have papers from Ohio to Florida. The fact we got the interview reflects that."

Once she entered the Oval Office, Page also noticed something different. Few others followed them into the room. No one else was in her line of sight. She sat next to the Resolute desk as the president took the chair behind the desk. "I felt like Biden and I were alone in the Oval Office."

'Historic time'

The early January conversation took place just hours before major snow was set to hit Washington, amid expectations for the new Congress, just before a former president was to be laid to rest and a presidential inauguration about to happen.

Biden himself reflected on the importance of the day: "It is a pretty historic time, isn't it?" he said to Page as he greeted her. Their conversation parsed out various elements of his presidency and the state of the nation and world. But the overarching message Page sensed was that Biden wanted to establish his legacy.

"He's not happy he's leaving the White House, but since he is leaving, he wants to go out making the case his presidency was consequential and important," Page said. Some judgments on his administration have been made on the basis of controversies such as his pardoning of his son Hunter to his age. But he wanted to express that his presidency has been bigger than these headlines: He was a leader who assumed power during an unprecedented pandemic and fostered economic growth without plunging America into the recession economists had feared, all while rebuilding foreign alliances.

"A picture of FDR dominates Biden's office," Page said. "When he looks up, that's what he sees. That's his iconic president who got Americans back to work during a time of crisis."

Unexpected moments

In the 55 minutes of audio Page recorded, she said the most unexpected moment was when Biden said he believed he would have won the 2024 election if he had stayed in the race. He expressed no such confidence when asked whether he had the vigor to serve another four years in office, though. "I don't know," he said.

He also took Paste BN inside his private meeting at the White House with President-elect Donald Trump after the election.

"The biggest case Biden made to Trump was not to go after his critics," Page said. The outgoing president said he believed that would be unhelpful to his mission. But Biden also said Trump complimented his administration in their closed-door conversation.

WATCH: Three key takeaways from Paste BN's exclusive interview with President Joe Biden

There are a lot of tidbits in Page's interview (check out stories detailing the conversation below). She suggests to look for moments when Biden discusses why he hasn't gotten more credit for some of his wins, from infrastructure policy to the economy.

Another key moment was when the president lit up as he discussed his family: "The thing that he became most animated about was his son Hunter and his decision to pardon him. His attitude toward that issue was not as a president; he did not approach it as something that complicated the office. He talked about it as a father. I was interviewing not a president but a father."

More from Biden's exclusive interview with Paste BN:

Thank you

I'm so proud to work with colleagues like Susan Page who have demonstrated integrity, care and intellect during historic moments. Thank you for supporting our journalism with your subscription. Our work wouldn't be possible without you. 

Best wishes, 

Nicole Fallert

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