"An enjoyable and keen inquiry into how presidents play the celebrity card and the consequences of failing to do so."
—Library Journal
“Ken Walsh brings his keen eye to one of the defining aspects of the modern presidency. In this entertaining and informative book, Walsh provides a fascinating look at the ways in which celebrity culture has shaped presidential politics in recent decades. The book is sure to contribute to debates about the future of the White House and the health of American democracy.”
—Julian E. Zelizer, author of The Fierce Urgency of Now: Lyndon Johnson, Congress, and the Battle for the Great Society
Introduction; chapterOne Forerunners of the Modern Celebrity Presidents; chapterTwo Theodore Roosevelt; chapterThree Franklin D. Roosevelt; chapterFour John F. Kennedy; chapterFive Ronald Reagan; chapterSix Bill Clinton; chapterSeven Barack Obama; chapterEight Second Billing; chapterNine First Ladies; chapterTen Presidents and Television; chapterEleven Presidents and the News Media; chapterTwelve Presidents and the Movies; chapterThirteen Presidents and Reading; chapterFourteen Presidents and Sports; chapterFifteen Presidents and Music; chapterSixteen Presidents as Trend Setters and Trend Spotters; chapterSeventeen Consequential vs. Shallow Celebrity; epi Epilogue;