For the Ages: A History Podcast

Historian and bestselling author Jon Meacham joins David M. Rubenstein for a conversation on America’s long struggle to define itself. Drawing on centuries of speeches, letters, and writings—from the nation’s founding to the present—Meacham reflects on enduring debates over democracy, inclusion, and national identity. Together, they consider how understanding the country’s conflicted past can help Americans navigate a polarized present.
Recorded on April 11, 2026

Two hundred and fifty years after the country’s founding, political polarities, seismic wealth disparity, and challenges to free speech and artistic expression all seem to paint a picture of an America that is unsure of the identity by which it has long been defined. In this conversation with David M. Rubenstein, Darren Walker, drawing on his experience throughout his lifelong career in philanthropy and a decade of leading the Ford Foundation, reflects on America’s ongoing struggles with inequality, democracy, and the principles that bind society.
Recorded on January 27, 2026

Over the course of her 70 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II met and worked with thirteen American presidents—more than any other American or foreign leader. Journalist Susan Page sits down with David M. Rubenstein to discuss how, over nearly three quarters of a century, Queen Elizabeth collaborated with presidents from Truman to Trump, exerting political influence and growing from a shy young princess to a queen who came to define the modern British monarchy.
Recorded on July 7, 2026

The 2024 presidential election cycle upended norms and expectations across the American electorate, with over 40% of Hispanic voters casting their ballots for Donald Trump. Reflecting on this unprecedented political moment, historian Geraldo Cadava explores the history of Hispanic American voters from the 1960s to the present, tracing their growth as a key demographic that has been courted across the political spectrum. 
Recorded on May 12, 2025

The story of the 1929 stock market crash and the Great Depression that followed goes far beyond the events of “Black Tuesday.” New York Times bestselling author Andrew Ross Sorkin joins David M. Rubenstein to discuss the speculation, greed, and ignored warnings that led to that epic economic meltdown, while examining the ways in which the economic and political state of the US in the late 1920s resembles our nation today.
Recorded on November 11, 2025