My Presidential Life

The Showdown at Putin's Dacha and Other Misadventures on the Diplomatic Road

by Judd Swift

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Pub Date May 07 2024 | Archive Date May 10 2024

Globe Pequot | Lyons Press

Biographies & Memoirs | Nonfiction (Adult) | Politics & Current Affairs

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Description

“Presidents know these are the people who will drag you to safety in strange hotels and foreign countries, protect your secrets, and make the trains run on time...”—Marlin Fitzwater, Press Secretary to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush

My Presidential Life: The Showdown at Putin’s Dacha and Other Misadventures on the Diplomatic Road is a whirlwind tour of a side of presidential history not found in presidential papers or biographies.

It is a wry insider’s look at iconic American presidents on the world stage and the unseen events that occurred off-camera. It’s an intimate look at events the public and historians rarely, if ever, see. My Presidential Life is an entertaining and informative account that offers front-row seats to the dynamics of world leaders and events that shaped the world as we know it today.

Among the tales told by Judd Swift include an obstreperous Lech Walesa threatening to disrupt George H.W. Bush’s mission to end Soviet control of Poland; Peru’s Shining Path guerillas setting off a car bomb outside the advance team’s hotel; an endless number of supposedly ultra-secret meeting rooms filled with electronic eavesdropping devices; an imperious Franco loyalist who did her best to sabotage a successful summit at El Pardo Palace between Ronald Reagan and the king and president of Spain; and the day Vladimir Putin had George W. Bush trapped inside the Russian president’s dacha without Secret Service protection and the man who carries the nuclear football; and many others.

Longtime Washington insider Judd Swift spent years on advance teams arranging meetings for Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush that took him to all corners of the world. He was also appointed by G.W. Bush as Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, Fossil Energy at the Department of Energy. Today he is CEO of Synfuels Americas Corporation, a technology platform to promote international research and business developments to support sustainable, clean fossil fuel energy for the future. He lives in Washington, Virginia.

Advance Praise

“Advance work for presidents is always demanding but never dull, and Swift describes it all in this colorful account. To make summit meetings or presidential speeches happen, there has to be a massive supporting architecture of secret machinery. It’s only noticeable if something goes awry, and people like Swift ensure that it doesn’t. The author worked on advance teams for Reagan and both Bushes, combining the skills of juggler, logistics expert, and firefighter… The author recounts a wealth of interesting behind-the-scenes stories about mayhem that was transformed into smooth success at the last moment, despite pompous local officials, terrorist threats, and even overenthusiastic crowds… Refreshingly, the author narrates his intriguing career without rancor or self-aggrandizement, providing an entertaining read about what happens behind the curtain. Swift has tales to tell and secrets to spill, and he does it with aplomb and humor.” —Kirkus Reviews

“These are the stories that will shock and amaze you. Yet Presidents know these are the people who will drag you to safety in strange hotels and foreign countries, protect your secrets, and make the trains run on time. And Judd Swift did it all. From the streets of Moscow to the sands of the middle east, Judd Swift has guided America’s political leaders through physical obstacles and intellectual challenges. He did indeed lead a presidential life.” —Marlin Fitzwater, Press Secretary to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush

“No one knows the behind-the-scenes stories like Judd Swift. Truthfully, what Presidents and senior White Officials came to realize was if Judd Swift was there, some kind of amazing magic was going to happen.” —Craig L. Fuller, Former Assistant to President Ronald Reagan and Chief of Staff to Vice President George H. W. Bush

“Judd Swift’s My Presidential Life is the ultimate peek behind the proverbial curtain. What happens behind the scenes before and during a presidential trip? You are about to find out in stunning detail as Judd shares all his adventures—and sometimes misadventures—on his life as a presidential advance man, taking the reader on a roller coaster ride of emotions.” —Jean Becker, Chief of Staff to George H. W. Bush, 1994-2018

“Advance work for presidents is always demanding but never dull, and Swift describes it all in this colorful account. To make summit meetings or presidential speeches happen, there has to be a...