All four living former presidents are striking a similar note as the US nears its 250th birthday. In exclusive interviews with Jenna Bush Hager for Today, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton all argued that the country's democratic foundations are sturdy enough to weather its current tensions—if citizens stay engaged. Highlights:
- Biden: "We're the most unique country in the world," said No. 46. "Most unique country in the world in the sense that we really do think democracy is dictated by the rule of the Constitution. And we do believe ... that all men are created equal."
- Obama: "Hope is not blind optimism. Remember what's best in us," said No. 44. "The basic principle upon which this country was founded, which is we don't have rulers, we don't have kings, or monarchs, or aristocracies. We have citizens." Hope "arises in the face of difficulty" and depends on Americans treating each other with respect while working out differences "in peaceful, legal ways."
- Bush: "My message is consider yourself fortunate to be a part of a great nation," said No. 43 and the only former president Hager addressed as "dad." "Study our history so you have a better sense for what the future will be like. And be a citizen, not a spectator. And by that I mean participate in the process, but also love a neighbor like you'd like to be loved yourself."
- Clinton: "The country will survive as much by the process, by the freedom to speak, the freedom to vote, the freedom to be active in politics as by any particular issue," said No. 42. "And because it's like it is, compromise is essential."
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