# When the President Calls: Conversations with Economic Policymakers

1 Books October 15, 2019 ![Book cover of "When the President Calls"](/sites/default/files/styles/246w/public/assets/images/When%20the%20President%20Calls%20Article.jpg?itok=nFCvxgDL) By Simon Bowmaker >

What is it like to sit in the Oval Office and discuss policy with the president? To know that the decisions made will affect hundreds of millions of people?

In *When the President Calls*, Professor [Simon Bowmaker](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/faculty/bio/simon-bowmaker) presents interviews with thirty-five economic policymakers who served presidents from Nixon to Trump. These officials worked in the executive branch in a variety of capacities―the Council of Economic Advisers, the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of the Treasury, and the National Economic Council―but all had direct access to the policymaking process and can offer insights about the difficult tradeoffs made on economic policy.

The interviews shed new light, for example, on the thinking behind the Reagan tax cuts, the economic factors that cost George H. W. Bush a second term, the constraints facing policymakers during the financial crisis of 2008, the differences in work styles between Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and the Trump administration's early budget process.

*When the President Calls* offers a unique, behind-the-scenes perspective on US economic policymaking, with specific and personal detail―the turmoil, the personality clashes, the enormous pressure of trying to do the right thing while the clock is ticking. ##
To learn more, visit [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/When-President-Calls-Conversations-Policymakers/dp/0262043114)

## More from Simon Bowmaker

- [How Alan Greenspan’s Stint as President Ford’s Top Economic Adviser Cemented his Passion for Public Service and Prepared Him to Lead the Fed.](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/faculty-research/opinion/how-alan-greenspans-stint-president-fords-top-economic-adviser-cemented-his-passion-public-service)
- [Trump Fed Pick Kevin Warsh Could Shake Up the Central Bank With His ‘Family Fight’ Model.](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/faculty-research/opinion/trump-fed-pick-kevin-warsh-could-shake-central-bank-his-family-fight-model)
- [Economists are Fleeing the Trump Administration. That's a Worrying Sign for Trump and the Future of the Country.](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/faculty-research/economists-are-fleeing-trump-administration-s-worrying-sign-trump-and-future-country)
- [The Federal Reserve's Biggest Success during the Coronavirus Crisis: Keeping Itself out of Politics](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/faculty-research/federal-reserve-s-biggest-success-during-coronavirus-crisis-keeping-itself-out-politics)
- [In a podcast interview, Professor Simon Bowmaker discusses key takeaways from his recent book, "When the President Calls"](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/news/podcast-interview-professor-simon-bowmaker-discusses-key-takeaways-his-recent-book-when-president)