Elevate your local knowledge

Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!

Select Region

Selecting your primary region ensures you get the stories that matter to you first.

Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham apologizes for comments on Obama and executive orders

NEW YORK, N.Y. – A Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer is apologizing for saying on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that Franklin Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln did not attempt to “rebuild” the country through executive orders, which President Obama advocated this week as an alternative to getting legislation enacted.

Jon Meacham wrote in an email Thursday to The Associated Press that he was at best “imprecise” and at worst “just plain wrong.” Many commentators noted that Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order and that Roosevelt advanced numerous New Deal initiatives through executive orders.

Meacham appeared Thursday on “Morning Joe.” He told the AP that he had meant to say that presidents cannot lead only through executive orders, but must also get laws passed and influence public opinion.

Meacham has written books about Andrew Jackson and Thomas Jefferson.

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

Related Articles