Bill Clinton and James Patterson on their new thriller, "The First Gentleman"
Seems that there is always a lot going on behind the walls of the White House where truth can often be stranger than fiction. But fiction can be pretty compelling, too. In the new novel "The First Gentleman" (to be published June 2 by Little, Brown & Co.), the commander in chief is a woman, and her husband is accused of murder. It's the third collaboration from best-selling author James Patterson and his co-writer, President Bill Clinton.
Little, Brown & Co.
Was there a scenario in the book that Patterson couldn't have written without Clinton's help? "Oh, I couldn't have done any of it without him," Patterson said. "I would have been lost. But the other thing, you know, look, I mean, he's the expert on the first gentleman. You know, he was almost a first gentleman!"
"Yeah, I thought about it for years. And it's the only political job I ever wanted and I didn't get!" Clinton smiled. "'Cause I really thought Hillary should be president."
Clinton would have been the very first first gentleman had his wife, Hillary, won the 2016 election. And he says back then he did a lot of thinking about what his role would be as a presidential spouse: "How could I do this job in a way that I would be on-call to help if she needed me, but I wouldn't get in the way?"
"That's the way I feel about this relationship: How can I help without getting in the way?" Patterson said. "I'm kind of the first gentleman of our [relationship]!"
"If you believe that, I got some land in Arizona I want to show you!" Clinton laughed.
And sometimes, their made-up White House looks almost like real life. In the book, the president keeps working through an agonizing personal crisis. During his 1999 impeachment proceedings, President Clinton kept working, too, with some of the very people who were trying to kick him out of the White House. "And they were amazed by it," he said. "They'd come and do business with me, [and] as far as they knew, I couldn't remember what was going on. And we would try to hammer out deals."
In the midst of impeachment? "Because that's what I got hired to do," Clinton said. "The American people don't pay you to have personal feelings. They pay you to deliver for them."
Clinton and Patterson have been delivering since 2018, with their first book about a president gone missing, and in 2021 their second about the president's daughter getting kidnapped. Both were bestsellers. But for them, it's really not all about work.
Asked how their relationship has evolved over their three books together, Clinton replied, "We've played a lot more golf."
Patterson said, "He's been president more times, but I have more holes-in-one."
"Oh God. Well, I have one; he has nine," said Clinton. "How many Americans have nine holes-in-one?"
"I know. That's sick," Patterson said. "Remember I'm a fiction writer."
"Makes the craziness stop for a little while"
I asked, "There's so much political drama in the world today, real-life political drama. Do you think that there's an appetite for political thrillers, for fictional political thrillers?"
Patterson said, "I think so, 100%. I mean, one of the nice things here is you escape, but you don't totally escape reality. It's like, 'Yeah, I love this. I can't put it down.' Or 'I keep reading,' or in some cases to me what's even better, which is you don't want it to end.
"I think it's useful, and 'cause so many people are wandering around, they go, 'Oh my God, oh my God, please make it stop'? This makes it stop for a little while, makes the craziness stop for a little while for people."
Clinton said, "One reason I hope there's an appetite is… I hope that people will still believe in our democratic system enough to stick with it and keep pushing to make it work."
During the summer, Patterson lives at his home on the Hudson River; the president is about five miles away.
Former President Bill Clinton and writer James Patterson, with correspondent Tracy Smith.
CBS News
Asked what they may have learned about each other during the writing process, Patterson offered, "the notion … of not worrying about stuff that we can't do anything about. And if we can do something about it, try to do it."
Their new book comes out tomorrow and they hope it's another bestseller. But if you spend any time at all with Patterson and Clinton, you get the sense that their partnership is about something money can't buy.
I asked, "Back when you wrote your first book together, The New York Times said that the two of you 'complete each other in the Jerry Maguire sense.'"
"Well, we kinda do," Patterson said. "This has been driving me for months now, which is: my time here is short. What can I do most beautifully? And in this case, doing another book with my friend is a beautiful thing to do."
READ AN EXCERPT: "The First Gentleman" by Bill Clinton and James Patterson
WEB EXCLUSIVE: Watch an extended interview with Bill Clinton and James Patterson
For more info:
Story produced by John D'Amelio. Editor: Jason Schmidt.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Dear Abby: My family thinks I'm making up my long-distance boyfriend
DEAR ABBY: I am a woman in my mid-20s who has had only abusive, toxic and horrendous relationships after entering adulthood. Since high school, I have spent years trying to find a 'good guy' who will treat me with respect and love me unconditionally. I made a friend online two years ago who I began recording music and podcasts with. He lives in another state. He's smart, witty and sarcastic, and we hit it off well as long-distance friends. I am smitten with him, and he is with me, and we are a 'thing' now. In a few months, he and a mutual friend are flying here to see me and to attend a concert. He says he wants to transfer schools and attend school here. As someone who's been single for three years, I feel ready to love again and be with someone, and my gut instincts and intuition feel safe with him. The only roadblock I'm worried about is my family. They don't believe my relationship is 'real.' They think I'm delusional for being with someone long-distance (even though my mom met my stepdad in a different state). I also don't know how I'll be able to explain this to my grandparents or my very strict, racist dad. How do I respond to people who call me delusional? — SEEMS LIKE THE REAL THING DEAR SEEMS: Although you have known this person for two years, you may be jumping the gun. While he may be everything you say he is (and he says he is), you can't be certain he is really Prince Charming until you meet in person. That he is considering transferring to a nearby school to be closer to you is a good thing. It will give you an opportunity to judge whether he is really the person he presents himself to be and allow your family to get to know him. It will also provide him an opportunity — if the romance continues to develop — to decide if he would welcome them as in-laws, in spite of the racism you so casually mentioned in passing. DEAR ABBY: I know I'll be chastised for having these thoughts, but I need advice. I thought I was supportive to my friend who lost her husband after a four-year battle with Alzheimer's disease. We have known each other for 25 years. She has become unresponsive and no longer asks me about anything. I check on her almost daily, but she never makes the first text. I also send cards, which she does not acknowledge. Her husband died more than a year ago, and I know I shouldn't judge her grieving, but I thought she would be better by this time. Widows ask why their friends desert them after a death, but what about the widows who desert friends? — LONELY IN THE EAST DEAR LONELY: Some individuals are more resilient than others. While you may have been able to get over the loss of a spouse, parent, child or pet quickly, others are not so lucky. The sad fact is, there is no set timetable for grieving. Invite her out to lunch so you can talk face to face instead of relying on cards and texts. If you do, it may help her to recover more quickly. Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
What the business world has to like (and not) in the Senate version of Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'
The business community has some clear wins in a Senate version of President Trump's "big, beautiful bill" but it isn't getting everything it wants. The Senate's Finance Committee's 549-page blueprint contains significant changes, especially on taxes, Medicaid funding, and clean energy. One proposal was quickly embraced by the business community: a Senate-side push to make corporate tax deductions permanent around things like interest payments and new capital investments. But a less popular idea is the survival of the so-called revenge tax that would allow the government to levy new duties on foreign nations and their businesses. That idea was introduced in the House version and sparked fears of reduced foreign investment. The version released last Monday pares back the tax but doesn't eliminate it entirely, as corporate lobbyists had asked. Specific industries also have plenty at stake from Senate changes if they make it into law. Businesses that work in clean energy will have more time to adjust to the phase-out of Biden-era credits. Restaurants and gig economy companies have more limited tax breaks for tips and overtime. Healthcare providers will also have to adjust to even steeper cuts to Medicaid's provider tax structure — perhaps the most surprising and significant overall change in the Senate version. What the Senate version of the bill doesn't appear to have — as Elon Musk and others had pushed for — is a significant change in the final price tag. Both versions are expected to add trillions of dollars to the debt. The Senate version also raises the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, compared with $4 trillion in the House version. The bill does have one clear cost-saving measure: slashing the annual deduction for individual state and local taxes (SALT) from $40,000 to $10,000. But that provision is described even in the bill's official summary as "the subject of continuing negotiations," with defenders of the deduction pledging to restore the full credit forthwith. The Senate version earned a quick flurry of Republican pledges — from fiscal hawks to defenders of those SALT deductions to those who object to the Medicaid cuts — to vote no if the final version isn't changed to their liking. "We're not seriously addressing our long-term deficit and debt," Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin told reporters soon after the unveiling, reiterating that he remains a no. The back and forth comes just weeks ahead of Republicans' self-imposed deadline to get the bill to the president's desk by July 4. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said sticking to that timeline means Senate passage by the end of this coming week. Ed Mills of Raymond James offered in a note that "we continue to view the July 4 target as ambitious" — suggesting that SALT and Medicaid provisions in particular could be under continued debate in the days ahead. Here is a closer look at some of the major business world changes being proposed by the Senate: A key focus for business owners is a series of tax deductions that will reinstate credits for corporations around things like property depreciation, capital investments, new factory construction, interest expenses, and research and development costs. These provisions were present in the House version but only temporarily. Permanency was a key Senate priority once they took over, even as it is expected to increase the price tag. The bill "powers the economy by permanently extending critical pro-growth provisions and introduces new incentives for domestic investment, providing certainty for American job creators to spur domestic economic activity and invest in their workers," offered Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo as he unveiled these provisions. The Senate version also enhances credits for "opportunity zones," which provide tax relief in rural and distressed communities. The bill also includes Trump's campaign promises of no taxes on tips and overtime, but in a more limited form. Employees would be able to deduct up to $25,000 annually for tips and overtime, in contrast to the House's approach of 100% deductibility under certain income limits. The Senate blueprint also includes a rollback of clean energy credits for things like solar panels and electric vehicles. The changes in the Senate would make that phaseout slower — zeroing out some key credits by 2028 — but with a bottom line that Republicans across the spectrum are united in eliminating these benefits entirely. Amy Hanauer, executive director of the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, reacted to the released proposal by saying that "the emerging clean energy economy will be curtailed and for what?" "Our communities will be worse off as a result of this legislation,' she added. On the fossil fuel side, the Senate bill continues to include changes to make permitting less laborious, open up new lease sales, and reverse a fee on excess methane emissions. The Senate bill also includes a controversial plan to limit the ability of states to regulate artificial intelligence. The Senate's provisions are less airtight, stopping short of the outright ban proposed by the House, but are expected to remain a point of contention and potentially an issue for the Senate parliamentarian, given the Senate's complex reconciliation rules. Other changes in the bill appear to cut against business interests at least slightly. The Senate bill makes permanent the so-called pass-through deduction — formally called a 199A deduction for small businesses — but at the current rate of 20%. The House version also had permanency, but at a higher rate of 23%. Meanwhile, a clear focus of business lobbyist ire has remained in the bill, but in a slightly diminished form: the so-called revenge tax. This idea would allow a president to punish companies and countries if they adhere to foreign laws that policymakers find objectionable. In Trump's case, things like the digital services taxes that often hit tech companies overseas. The Senate version, in a nod to the flurry of concerns, set a maximum rate of 15% and delayed implementation until 2027 but kept the concept intact. In addition to that tax, the SALT and Medicaid changes are likely to be most in focus in the days and weeks ahead. Tobin Marcus of Wolfe Research noted Tuesday morning that "SALT changes underscore the reality that this is another step forward in negotiations, not the final answer." He added that "we still view late July as the real deadline." This story has been updated. Ben Werschkul is a Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance. Click here for political news related to business and money policies that will shape tomorrow's stock prices Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
49 People Going Through It Who Made Me Laugh Really Hard (I'm A Monster)
Look, we've all had times when we've been going THROUGH IT. And when it's happening to us, it's not very funny. But when it's happening to other people? Well, it can be hilarious! (Does admitting that make me a monster? I think it might.) Well, if you're a monster like me, here are 50 people who are REALLY going through it (and also really funny): boyfriend after his autocorrect disaster: clown-hating diner at a restaurant where Mr. Giggles (or whoever) kept popping up on the digital menu: this grade school teacher trying like hell to remember her students' names: fast food manager stuck dealing with some not exactly A+ employees: Great British Bake Off contestant hanging on by a thread: this TMI dad having a really crappy time: hungry person after coming outside and seeing their McDonald's order: dudes at a Burger King in the middle of the night: this truck driver after his epic mishap: oof: — you guessed it — triple oof: unpopular OnlyFans model: wrong number texter: this down bad dude who is WAY too attached to their AI: Related: "That Sentence Sat In My Head For Months": Men Are Revealing The Most Hurtful Things A Woman Can Say To Them, And It's Actually Fascinating realtor struggling to sell this house: guy passed out at a wedding: this dude who ended up in the ER when his hemorrhoid burst — and then got this gift from a smartass friend: guy who got this message after throwing out his back: guy and his Grammy throwing a fit over Beyoncé's win: this crack user struggling with inflation like the rest of us: guy getting scammed: this computer belongs to: this Southeast Asian in the Netherlands struggling with the height Related: People Are Sharing How What Happened In Vegas Did NOT Stay In Vegas, And This Should Be A Lesson To Never Go To A Bachelor/Bachelorette Party There teacher who is OVER Gen Z slang: teacher trying to survive with the worst possible name for teaching teenagers: this employee who REALLY hates that her company's name tags only use an initial for the last name: struggling math student trying — and failing — to use Jesus to pass a test: kid after the cringiest prom ever: this person who doesn't need an app pointing out how boring their life is: kid who wrote this "when I grow up" section: professor who seems like they're going through something: the student who posted this — and just might be in the above professor's class: tired neighbor: partners at this bank: this dude who dropped a part on his foot and broke it (but at least he got this care package from a co-worker): at least she has this guy's support (eye roll): slug-fearing wife who found one in the house (this is how she dealt with it, lol — the note is for her husband): The note reads: "Scary slug infiltrated. Hid him in a trolley under pile of salt under glass bowl. Very sorry, but could you deal with it? Love you x." this person was over having to constantly discuss their accident: dude going down an angry, self-loathing spiral: Yikes: dude who bought Tinder Gold only to get infographics like this: this woman who did something there's no coming back from: poor boyfriend (who is in the denial phase): this person who is really struggling to quit smoking: person I am sending a virtual hug to: person who just wanted to get healthy: person — back when they wrote this poem in the fourth grade: arcade owner who simply CANNOT listen to another kid swear: lastly, this person who just wanted to drive out of the garage and head home, but discovered this very intimidating kitty had other plans: Also in Internet Finds: Holy Crap, I Can't Stop Laughing At These 28 Painfully Awkward And Embarrassing Conversations Also in Internet Finds: I Need To Call My Doc For A New Inhaler After Cackling So Hard At These 41 Funny Tweets From The Week Also in Internet Finds: Here Are 50 Pictures That Make Me Grin Uncontrollably No Matter How Many Times I've Seen Them, In Case You Need Them
