Inspired by the critically acclaimed biopic Jackie starring Natalie Portman, US history expert Christopher Andersen explores the change in the duties of the First Lady since Jackie’s time in the White House.
Natalie Portman in Jackie
Author of 18 New York Times bestsellers (including 14 biographies), Christopher has outstanding knowledge and the expertise to dive deep into the shifts and links between some of America’s most powerful First Ladies - all the way up to Melania Trump and the rise of daughter Ivanka Trump- but first we asked him about the Kennedys.
Why do you think people were so fascinated by the Kennedys?
Americans yearn for a royal family of their own, and the Kennedys fit the bill. Jack and Jackie seemed to have it all. They were outlandishly rich, impossible attractive, brilliant, elegant, young, exciting. Glamour and power and sex and money—not to mention the dreams and aspirations of a generation—were embodied in the dashing new president and his stunning first lady. They seemed truly blessed by the gods, so it really should have come as no surprise that their story would take on the dimensions of a Greek tragedy. It’s the fact that the Kennedys have endured so many tragedies—the death of Jack’s older brother Joe during World War II, his sister Kathleen’s death in a plane crash, then JFK’s assassination, followed by Bobby’s assassination, and of course JFK Jr.’s plane crash death in 1999—that’s the key, really, to our continuing fascination with them. Don’t forget that there have been other losses to the extended family—Bobby’s son David died of a drug overdose, another son was killed in a skiing accident, his daughter died of cancer, it just goes on and on. Whether or not you believe in the Kennedy Curse, they have taken one soul-crushing blow after another but somehow managed to soldier on.
Most important in terms of their impact on the country was the sense of style, sophistication, intelligence, and vigour—one of JFK’s favourite words—that they brought to the White House after eight years boredom under Dwight Eisenhower.
What drew you towards writing about John F Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy?
I actually shook hands with JFK when I was 13 years old—this was in late 1962, the year before he was assassinated. I remember clearly that he was much taller than I expected, and that his hair was this curious copper colour. Later on, in the l980s, I met Jackie Onassis on several occasions—I was published by Doubleday back then, and she was an editor there. It occurred to me after her death from cancer in l996 at the age of 64 that, while so much had been written about the Kennedy Era, no one had really taken an honest, thorough look at their relationship--what made them tick as husband and wife. So I interviewed hundreds of their friends, relatives, and associates—nearly all the famous names of the Kennedy era, most of whom have since passed away—and the result was the first of my five bestselling books about the Kennedys, JACK AND JACKIE: Portrait of an American Marriage.
One of Jack Kennedy’s closest friends told me that comparing the Kennedy marriage to anyone else’s marriage was “like comparing a Duesenberg to a Chevy.” In other words, they lived life on such a high plane it was difficult to draw parallels between their marriage and the average person’s. But I found that many of the problems they dealt with—illness, stress, infidelity, fertility problems, substance abuse, child-rearing, even money troubles (Jack had a hard time reining in Jackie’s spending) were the kinds of challenges millions of families can identify with. Of course, at the same time they were busy changing the world.
Please tell us about the research required for the book.
Well, I’ve written 18 New York Times bestsellers, and five of those were about the Kennedys. Three of those—Jack and Jackie, Jackie After Jack, and These Few Precious Days—dealt with the Kennedy marriage and its immediate aftermath. I’ve basically spent 25 years writing about Jack and Jackie Kennedy, interviewing their closest friends, relatives, cabinet members, colleagues, even their doctors and priests.
What surprised you most when you were gathering your information for the book?
Many things. That Jackie knew that her husband was a serial womanizer and deeply wounded by his behaviour. It was not some cynical arrangement between two people who loved power. Even though one of their closest friends told me they were two of the “most alone, emotionally strangulated” people he’d ever known, they somehow managed to connect. If Jack was capable of loving any one woman, those closest to the couple told me, that woman was Jackie.
It’s also fascinating that the woman she was most worried about was Marilyn Monroe. Jackie knew all about the President’s steamy, long-running affair with Marilyn. She also knew about Marilyn’s reputation as being a loose cannon, and was deeply concerned that the star would go public—and destroy not only her marriage but JFK’s presidency.
What are the biggest changes in the duties of the first lady since Jackie’s time in the White House?
Jackie hated being called First Lady. She thought it sounded like the name of a racehorse. She also disdained some of the functions she was supposed to perform—hosting teas, ribbon-cuttings, walkabouts—and basically handed them over to Lady Bird Johnson, wife of then-Vice President Lyndon Johnson.
Jackie was an accomplished horsewoman and spent a lot of time away from the White House, riding in the Virginia countryside. But what she did do as First Lady was immensely important. She not only renovated the White House brilliantly—the Executive Mansion we see today is essentially the presidential residence Jackie created back in the early l960s—but she brought culture to the White House. And when the President travelled abroad, Jackie proved to be one of our greatest ambassadors, charming heads of state like French President Charles De Gaulle, and even Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. She surprised Jack, and herself, by becoming one of our greatest and most effective first ladies.
Keep in mind that there is no blueprint for the job of first lady. You pretty much invent it for yourself, as you go along. Most first ladies take on causes the way members of the Royal Family take on charities. For Laura Bush, it was literacy. For Michelle Obama, healthy eating for young people and the welfare of America’s military families. For Jackie, it was turning the White House into what it should be—a showplace and a glittering symbol of what the U.S. stands for. She aimed to transform Washington D.C., then a rather drab provincial town, into an American Versailles--and into a considerable degree she succeeded.
Ivanka Trump has been titled ‘the real first lady’- what are your thoughts on this?
Melania has not stepped up as quickly as I think the American people would have liked. She hasn’t really embraced the job, or even hired an adequate staff, and wasn’t even willing to move to Washington when her husband took office. Her first priority was staying in New York until her son Barron finished the school year. It seems to me her first priority is now the country, and it would hardy have been wrenching for her to move into the White House with her son the day of the inauguration—just like every other first lady in modern history. That said, I don’t get the impression Melania is particularly interested in placing her stamp on the White House. To most Americans, it appears as if she believes she is doing us all a favour by uprooting her life in New York and relocating to Washington.
Ivanka, on the other hand, is her father’s daughter. She is grabbing this opportunity to have a real impact on policy with both hands. No other first daughter has ever taken on so much responsibility, and so publicly. Of course, with so many members of the Trump family serving as advisors to the new presidents, there are serious concerns about whether this violates anti-nepotism laws that were put into effect after JFK appointed his brother Bobby as Attorney General.
It goes without saying that Ivanka brings a much-needed touch of class to the Trump White House, and The Donald is truly fortunate to have such a stylish, articulate, and charismatic young woman at his side—particularly when it seems that Melania is overwhelmed by the job.
Who do you feel has been American’s most powerful first lady?
It’s probably a toss-up among Eleanor Roosevelt, Nancy Reagan, and Hillary Clinton. Although Edith Wilson practically ran the country after Woodrow Wilson suffered a stroke late in his second term, Eleanor, Nancy, and Hillary exerted tremendous influence over their husbands throughout their presidencies. Eleanor also had a power base all her own—she was a towering figure alongside FDR during the Great Depression and World War II—but of course so did Hillary, who came so close to becoming our first female president.
What is next for you?
I’m working on a new book, but I never talk about what I’m working on--for two reasons. First, I am ridiculously superstitious and don’t want to jinx anything—I’m knocking wood right now!—and I don’t want to scare away sources. I work best flying beneath the radar, and then springing what I’ve discovered on an unsuspecting public. That’s why they call me the stealth author.
Jackie is available on Digital Download, Blu-ray and DVD now