The Miller Center’s Presidential Oral History Program is navigating a rare challenge and opportunity: conducting two simultaneous presidential oral history projects, one focused on senior White House officials who served in President Donald Trump’s first term and the other documenting the single-term administration of President Joseph Biden.

Three successive one-term presidencies—a reality not seen since the days of William McKinley at the turn of the last century—means that the oral history team has far more work to do in a shorter time frame than in recent decades, when two-term presidencies were the norm.

Moreover, in the case of the Trump 45 oral history, interviewees are reflecting on the first term of a president who is currently holding office. This situation is uncommon in that only Grover Cleveland preceded Trump in having nonconsecutive terms.

In the case of the Trump 45 oral history, interviewees are reflecting on the first term of a president who is currently holding office

Generally, officials wait until their president has left office before participating in oral history interviews.

But doing that for Trump would mean losing valuable years of work.

“Normally the president they served isn’t still in the White House,” pointed out Russell Riley, cochair of the Center’s Presidential Oral History Program and director of the Trump 45 project. “But we are always mindful of the costs of delay in recording any interview. People’s memories fade. And for us, nothing is more discouraging than finding an obituary in the morning news of a former White House  official we intended to schedule but did not. That means history lost.”

We are always mindful of the costs of delay in recording any interview. People’s memories fade. And for us, nothing is more discouraging than finding an obituary in the morning news of a former White House  official we intended to schedule but did not

Riley added of Trump’s nonconsecutive terms, “It’s an unusual situation, but we haven’t seen any tangible dampening effect on scheduling the interviews. To date, people are agreeing at the same pace as usual.”

Riley attributed that continuity to the Center’s reputation.

“The Miller Center is held in high esteem,” he said. It is known to be genuinely committed to nonpartisan inquiry, to getting history right, and most importantly for being a trusted repository of people’s candid recollections.

The Center is known to be genuinely committed to nonpartisan inquiry, to getting history right, and most importantly for being a trusted repository of people’s candid recollections

“If former officials ask us to keep an interview confidential for a certain amount of time, they know that we will honor that decision,” Riley explained. “We have an unblemished record of maintaining confidences going back almost half a century now.”

The Center plans to extend its work on the Trump oral history after his current term ends. And that is part of the current opportunity for the Center: building relationships now that will help us when returning to study the 47th presidency in 2029 and beyond.

Similarly, while the Center was completing interviews for the Barack Obama Oral History Project, many individuals who served in the Obama White House moved into senior roles in the Biden administration.

“Serving in the White House is all-hands-on-deck, nearly 24/7,” said Barbara Perry, cochair of the Center’s Presidential Oral History Program and director of the Obama and Biden projects. “People simply could not speak with us about their government service until their time in the White House was complete.”

Serving in the White House is all-hands-on-deck, nearly 24/7 . . . People simply could not speak with us about their government service until their time in the White House was complete

Although this delayed their participation until the end of Biden’s presidency, when those interviewees became available, the Center took the opportunity to debrief them about their service under both Obama and Biden.

“Interviewees know we won’t be adjudicating partisan disputes during the interview,” Perry noted. “The Center provides a trusted, nonpartisan space for honest reflection so future generations can understand how and why decisions were made during a consequential period.”

The Miller Center is working to fully fund a presidential studies endowment to allow future oral history projects to proceed without delay immediately after a president leaves office, ensuring documentation of administrations while memories remain fresh. The oral history program is funded entirely by private philanthropy, and donors have no influence over who is interviewed or how interviews are conducted.

The Center provides a trusted, nonpartisan space for honest reflection so future generations can understand how and why decisions were made during a consequential period

“The challenges of conducting simultaneous Trump 45 and Biden oral histories have been well worth the effort,” noted Miller Center Director and CEO William Antholis. “This work underscores that the Miller Center’s mission is fundamentally nonpartisan: We document every presidency with rigor, independence, and a commitment to understanding how leaders govern. By approaching these histories in parallel, we help build the historical record. And we take advantage of those relationships to bring people together across party lines, to make a positive difference.”

MORE ABOUT THE CENTER'S PRESIDENTIAL ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEWS