The Presidential Fitness Test

Who’s your ideal American president? A strategic thinker who is calm in a crisis? A charmer with boundless aplomb? Perhaps a principled leader with an unwavering moral compass?

This week, the hosts discuss what voters expect from “America’s daddy” and whether concerns about President Biden’s and Donald Trump’s fitness are overblown, given the history of the office they each hope to keep or retake.

(A full transcript of this audio essay will be available within 24 hours of publication on the Times website.)

Mentioned in this episode:

“Unmaking the Presidency: Donald Trump’s War on the World’s Most Powerful Office,” by Susan Hennessey and Benjamin Wittes“Joe Biden: The Life, the Run, and What Matters Now,” by Evan Osnos

 

Thoughts about the show? Email us at matterofopinion@nytimes.com.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.