Latest news with #TheFirstGentleman
Winnipeg Free Press
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Bill and James' excellent adventure
What if Hillary Clinton had won the 2016 election, making her president, and making husband Bill Clinton the first first gentleman in U.S. history — and deep into her first term, Bill had been charged with murder? Oh dear. And that's pretty much all you need to know before launching into the third collaboration between former president Bill Clinton and super-prolific thriller author James Patterson, following The President is Missing and The President's Daughter. Bebeto Matthews / Associated Press files Bill Clinton (left) and James Patterson… TK We've got a courtroom drama, political thriller and police procedural all rolled into one that's both preposterous and preposterously entertaining. The first gentleman is Cole Wright, husband of President Madeleine Wright; he's a former tight end with the New England Patriots, one of whose cheerleaders he is accused of murdering 17 years ago. The big difference this time around is that Cole isn't the first-person narrator, after two whiz-bang novels in which the narrator was a male president who was the greatest warrior in the U.S. of A. No, this time our narrator is a Black woman lawyer and Yale law professor, Brea Cooke (check the initials). She's been researching a book about the disappearance and presumed death of cheerleader Suzanne Bonanno, and had been working along with Brea's romantic and professional partner Garrett Wilson, an investigative reporter. The first few pages tell us Cole is going to trial on the charges, Garrett is dead and it's flashback time. President Maddy is a Democrat, who stands by her man but believes his conviction would scuttle her re-election chances. Clinton and Patterson obviously started writing this book before the most recent election, back when presidents didn't mess with the justice system's independence. Spoiler alert — the word 'pardon' never appears herein. Brea and Garrett met at Dartmouth, the Ivy League school where a generation earlier, Cole, Maddy and her chief of staff Burton had all hung out together. There are rumours of a young woman's having been raped at a frat party full of football players, but all witnesses were bought or threatened into silence. People who know something about the dead cheerleader having dated Cole, and he having allegedly treated her violently before she vanished, start getting murdered. Who could have seen this coming? Brea knows she's being followed by two shady characters, we know a minor-league mobster has unleashed thugs, we know there's a professional hitperson with a sniper rifle stalking a whole lot of people, we know several conspiracies and cabals are feeding Brea clues for reasons unknown, we know intrepid homicide detective Marie Gagnon is refusing to drop her sleuthing — oodles of mysterious stuff we know, without knowing a lot of the why and by whom. The First Gentleman Why did the authors choose the New England Patriots? Maybe because the Pats had a real-life tight end named Aaron Hernandez who was charged with three murders and convicted of one murder. But we digress… While her husband is on trial, President Maddy is busy trying to stop China from invading the Philippines without starting a war, and she's trying to get enough votes from both parties (Bill probably wrote this part) for a rainbows-and-unicorns plan to prevent the States from going bankrupt, by increasing taxes on the wealthy to keep basic programs such as social security and Medicaid solvent. Bill, in what parallel universe did you find these agreeable Republicans? Readers may spend several chapters thinking The First Gentleman will concentrate on violence against women. Then they may think the authors are questioning why a young man who won the gene pool and then married into unimaginable power and wealth should lose everything because of one incident that he now acts in public as though he regrets. Ultimately, the authors have used a devastating societal ill as simply a plot device on which to hang another thriller full of Clinton's intriguing insights into politics and Patterson's bang-bang, never-stop-for-breath plots. Retired Free Press reporter Nick Martin reckons American football coaches will rapidly turn pages for clues how one tight end can turn a small school like Dartmouth, where players are required to go to class and pass courses, into a national university football power.
The Hill
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Bill Clinton says he wondered if Trump administration might try to ban his latest book
Former President Bill Clinton says that as the latest thriller he co-authored with James Patterson was being published, he wondered whether the Trump administration would try to come up with a reason 'to ban it.' 'I was actually trying to think if there was some reason they could think of to ban it,' the ex-commander in chief said during an interview alongside Patterson Tuesday on 'The Daily Show.' Clinton's comment came in response to a question from host Jordan Klepper on if he knew when the book, 'The First Gentleman,' was 'going to be banned by the Trump administration.' 'It wouldn't be the White House, but in certain counties, they may all of a sudden,' best-selling scribe Patterson, a vocal critic of book bans, told Klepper. 'They don't need a reason,' Patterson, 78, added. 'One person goes in [and says] 'I don't like the book.' And, 'OK, we'll ban it,'' he said. 'So it'll probably be banned in a couple of counties.' Patterson was one of nearly two dozen authors who donated millions to the free expression organization PEN America in 2023 to push back against book banning efforts. A year earlier, more than 1,500 individual titles were removed from K-12 schools across the country, according to PEN America. 'I don't like it. It's a bad deal,' Clinton, 78, said of book bans. 'Maya Angelou, who read the inaugural poem at my first inauguration — wrote it, and read it and was a great human being — the first thing the White House did was to ban her book, 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,'' Clinton recalled. Angelou's 1969 autobiography was reportedly one of nearly 400 books that was pulled from the U.S. Naval Academy library in April as part of an effort to remove titles containing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) content. Calling it a 'magnificent book,' Clinton reflected on Angelou's personal story about a child who 'loses the ability to speak for a couple of years because she was abused, and then she blooms.' 'I couldn't figure out why that was a problem,' Clinton said. 'I don't like book banning,' the 42nd president added. 'I wasn't ever for banning books that were full of things they said about me that weren't true,' Clinton said. 'It never occurred to me that I should stop you from reading them.'
New York Post
12-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Bill Clinton stumbles ahead of NYC book event, sparking concern: ‘Can hardly walk'
Bill and Hillary Clinton spotted in New York City for the launch of their new book "The First Gentleman." Former President Bill Clinton sparked concern on social media Wednesday after he was spotted walking gingerly and stumbling ahead of a book event in New York City. Clinton, 78, needed to grab hold of a pole in order to pull himself up from the street to the sidewalk outside the 92NY cultural center in Manhattan, where the event was taking place, video posted on X showed. The 42nd president's left leg immediately buckled as he planted his foot on the pavement, causing him to stumble. Advertisement 3 Clinton will turn 79 in August. Santi Ramales / BACKGRID Yet no one around the ex-commander in chief, including Secret Service agents and autograph hunters, appeared all that concerned. Clinton then slowly made his way to autograph seekers, where his wife, Hillary, was already signing a few items. Advertisement The former president's gait and physical appearance shocked many on social media. 'Bill can hardly walk,' conservative columnist Buzz Patterson wrote on X, sharing the clip of the trip. 'Bill Clinton ain't looking well,' Texas Patriot tweeted. Some X users compared Clinton's physical decline to that of former President Joe Biden. Advertisement 'Bill Clinton is starting to stumble around like Joe Biden,' one account tweeted. Another person described the ex-commander in chief as looking 'very Bidenlike – unsteady, sleepy.' One social media user noted that Clinton looked to be in an 'obvious fragile state,' and that Hillary left him 'in her dust' as she exited the black van carrying them to the event. 3 Clinton is promoting his new book with James Patterson, titled 'First Gentleman.' Santi Ramales / BACKGRID Advertisement Clinton has faced several health problems since leaving the Oval Office in January 2001 after serving two terms in the White House. A fever landed him in a Washington, DC, hospital last December, where he spent one night being treated for the flu and was released on Christmas Eve. In 2021, Clinton was hospitalized for about a week in California after a urinary tract infection spread to his bloodstream. 3 Bill and Hillary Clinton took selfies and signed autographs ahead of the event. Santi Ramales / BACKGRID In 2004, he underwent a successful quadruple heart bypass surgery that was described as a 'relatively routine' four-hour procedure at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University. And six years later, he was taken to the same Manhattan hospital where surgeons inserted two stents into a clogged artery, according to his doctors at the time. The former president was attending an event Wednesday night related to his new political thriller, 'The First Gentleman,' which he co-authored with James Patterson. Advertisement The book is described by 92NY as 'a propulsive, white-knuckle ride through the West Wing, the media, and the American psyche.' It takes place in a world where the US has elected its first female president and her husband is put on trial for murder.
RTÉ News
07-06-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Bill Clinton says US needs presidential candidate who is 'willing to lose'
Former US president Bill Clinton has said the US needs someone to run for president who is "willing to lose" as well as wants to win. Speaking about his new book 'The First Gentleman' to Dearbhail McDonald on RTÉ's Brendan O'Connor show, he said a presidential candidate needs to show they are going to "lift our country out of the mire". "I think there is a significant majority of people who would support such an approach if they actually believed in the candidate and if you were effective enough to push back against the blizzard of misinformation that is in social media, the mainstream media and the endless array of new social media sites coming online," he said. "We're in a blizzard of information with limited ability for many people to sort through it and know what to believe and what not." Mr Clinton said that after the most recent US election, he believes many of the Democratic Party's leaders and would-be leaders "conducted themselves responsibly" but that voters and activists have continued to fight. "Especially since President Trump is so unlike his predecessors in his willingness to break rules and norms and take on courts and everybody else," he added. Mr Clinton said it is important to recognise that if a candidate does not have the votes to win a presidential race, they should focus on developing an alternative message and hope to win the next election. "I think we forget, the people who are so politically active, that people aren't paying attention. "They're making judgements and you have to trust the people to do this and then carve a path through to push what you believe in, but don't pretend that it's the next election. "I did not even announce for president until October of 1991, barely a year away. "Now we expect people to run from four straight years and we expect voters not to get bored because the media has got to fill all these days with news." Mr Clinton's book was co-authored by James Patterson - their third novel together - and revolves around a man named Cole who is facing murder charges while his wife is seeking re-election as president of the US. He said being a 'first gentleman' was the "only political job that I failed to secure".
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bill Clinton reveals key White House details in murderous new political thriller
WHITE PLAINS, NY – Most former presidents write memoirs after they leave the White House. Former President Bill Clinton has been there, done that. First on his literary agenda now? Writing political thrillers. Clinton is a thriller reader himself, but more than that he just really wanted a chance to work with bestselling author James Patterson. Their third novel, "The First Gentleman" is out now from Little, Brown and Company. Sitting down for an interview with USA TODAY, the prolific pair catch up like a couple of old friends – Clinton shares a story of tourists he spotted reading his wife's book while in Korea and gives Patterson the name of a new author to check out. "He reads everything," Patterson tells me. Both love S.A. Cosby, Michael Connelly and Lee Child. In their latest novel, the fictional Madame President Wright's husband is on trial for murder, a potential crime uncovered by journalist couple Brea and Garrett. Not only is it harmful to the White House image for the first gentleman and former Patriots player to be accused of murder, but it threatens to upend the carefully crafted economic "Grand Bargain" the president is nearly ready to announce. It's a twisty thriller with plenty of inside jobs, political sabotage and many, many deaths. Clinton and Patterson take us inside their writing process, revealing how they weave details pulled from real life with fictional characters to create the next big nail-biter. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Question: How has your collaboration changed over three books? Patterson: I don't think it's changed. Other than, I will say, I think this turned out really, really well. If somebody's looking to read a book with really good characters and great story or if they want to find out sort of how Washington really works, I think this is really cool for either one of those kinds of people. But initially we had, it was a little bit of a problem in terms of getting the characters real. They weren't working and we just kept going at it. Clinton: We had this just gut-wrenching conversation because in the beginning, we were excited – what would it be like to write a book that was from the point of view of the first gentleman, the first woman president's husband? It had all kinds of fascinating ramifications. But then something happened while we were doing it and I realized we hadn't created anybody you could like. Patterson: We have these two (reporters) and they weren't working, either, in the beginning. When people think of my writing, they go "short chapters," but the whole thing is character. Alex Cross is, in my opinion, a great character. Lindsay Boxer is a really good character. The characters in "First Gentleman," there are four of them, are really good characters, and that's the key. Obviously (Clinton) was key in terms of making those characters work, especially in the White House. Clinton: People (in the White House) struggle to maintain some measure of normalcy, however they define it. Even though you have to be ambitious to be elected president and disciplined to execute the job, you're still a person. We all react differently to different things that happen. So we try to capture that. Patterson: The humanity. I wish we could get back to the understanding that whatever party you're with, (we are) human beings. I'll give you one quick example: Last year, the president called the house and my wife and he said, put it on (FaceTime). And there he was with his grandkids, and he was in a tiger suit with only his face showing. Human being! Right, and in this book, all the first gentleman wants to do is go on a run with no one bothering him. Patterson: President Clinton used to go on runs. Clinton: I went running every morning for years. I still have the M&M's box that I was given by the head of my security detail on my 100th run when I was president. I loved it. Patterson: Once M&M's get 20 years old you don't eat them anymore. Are there any other signature Clinton White House details that made it into the book? Patterson: You have a relationship with a man and a woman, and obviously, it would've been possible at one point for President Clinton to be the first gentleman. Clinton: It's the only job I ever wanted that I didn't get. Is that why you chose to make a female president in this book? Clinton: I had thought a lot about, long after I left the White House and Hillary was running, and I thought about it. This character, he and his president wife, they're closer to the age Hillary and I were when we actually served. So I was thinking about, even though he was a pro football player and macho guy, he was really proud of his wife. He wanted her to succeed. He wasn't threatened by her being president, but he could be threatened by people making certain assumptions about him, like he was a dumb jock, which he's not. Patterson: But is he a murderer? Clinton: We keep that hanging a long time. In the book, President Wright is trying to pass legislation to address Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare. How did you come up with the "Grand Bargain"? Clinton: I knew what the drivers of the debt are and what the politics pushing against real change are, and so I tried to think of the things we could do to get it under control that would be the most bearable, both for people and politically. Patterson: It's a fascinating thing. How do you solve the problem with Social Security and Medicaid? And there is, you know, there's in the book, there is a solution. It's complicated, which is kind of cool. You don't hear anything (today), about, well, how do we solve these problems? I'd like to hear that right now. Yes, there is a problem. Clinton: Medicaid pays for about 40% of all childbirth and pays for an enormous percentage of senior citizens' health care and a lot of other stuff. It's really important. So this bill that's just been presented cuts Medicaid in order to help pay for a tax cut for millionaires and billionaires. In all respect, (Patterson) and I don't need a tax cut. We'd rather have people with health care. So these are choices, and unless people understand that these choices are being made, they can't know clearly whether they're against or for whatever's being proposed. Patterson: This lays out that there is an alternative to that which makes sense and we don't have to cut things off for people who really need help. What was it like crafting fictional presidential addresses? Clinton: I imagined what I would say if confronted with the challenges she was confronted with. If you really want to change something, people like to hear about it in speeches and imagine it, but it almost always requires a mind numbing, detail-written piece of legislation – not always, but mostly. So, I tried to figure out how to sell it in the speech and describe how complicated the legislation would be without putting people to sleep. I found it difficult, but I think it's important, because one thing I learned the hard way is if you can't explain it, you can't sell it, and if you can't sell it and it's hard, you're going to get creamed. The problem we describe is something like what really exists today. Except today, it's in many ways more severe. It's just that our economy has been, for the last 20 years, or now 30 years, stronger than any other one in the world. Patterson, were there any details about the presidency or White House that Clinton added that surprised you? Patterson: A lot of little things. I might set a scene and he'd go: "It can't happen in that room. That room is so small, there's not room for three people in that room." And anytime it pops up: "The Secret Service wouldn't act like that. They would act like this." A lot of the thriller writers that we all like, they just make stuff up. When you're working with a president, you just can't make it up, because he'll go: "No, it wouldn't work that way. Here's how it could work." One of the beauties of this book, and the three that we've done, is that it's a really good story with really good characters, but it's also authentic. Did you have a favorite character to write? Patterson: Favorite character for me is Brea – she just develops, she gets stronger and stronger for a lot of reasons, and there is one big twist in there, and that really propels her as a character. Clinton: I agree with that, and one of the reasons I liked her is that she's smart and brave and good and honest, but in the beginning of the book, she thinks something that's very wrong about a big issue, and when she knows she's wrong, she turns on a dime and does the right thing. You don't see that much in Washington. Patterson: Or in general. Clinton: There are people that think that you never admit error. You accuse other people of doing what you're doing, and you roll along. The worst thing you can do is admit that she made a mistake. I like her because she's playing in the big leagues − her whole life is on the line, and she still does the right thing. Patterson: We've sold this in Hollywood and ... the production companies go, "Well, maybe we should cast (First Gentleman) Cole." I'm going like, no, you better cast Brea, because Cole, he's a good character, but Brea, she's real, and Garrett, her partner, they are really key characters. And the president herself, but Cole, eh, I don't know. Not as big a character. Who would be your dream actor to play her? (Brea, the protagonist, is Black.) Patterson: There's so many. I mean, that's the beauty right now − one of the nice things that's happened in Hollywood, especially with Black actors, so many have been discovered. There are so many choices. What are you excited for readers to see in this story, especially fans of your last two thrillers? Clinton: I'm excited for them to see, first of all, that there's still room for citizen activism that can make all the difference in the world, from people who just want to do the right thing, like Brea and Garrett. Secondly, I want them to see that a president and her husband are people. No matter what's going on, she's still got to go to work every day. If she thinks (Cole) machine-gunned half a dozen people, she's still got to go to work. Nobody else can make these decisions. I want them to see how staff behaves, senior staff, and when they're honorable and when they're not, and what a difference it can make, because you can't be president unless you can trust them. You have to have some people you trust. Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY's books reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you're reading at cmulroy@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bill Clinton, James Patterson new book is a murderous, twisty thriller
