About the author
Richard M. Lim’s love of presidential history began during his childhood in sunny southern California. When he was in the third grade, his mother began taking him regularly to the local public library on Saturdays. Richard immediately got hooked on a series of presidential biographies written for kids. In no time, he was regaling his family and friends with random facts and stories about America’s chief executives. This love for history led him to dream about one day working at the White House where he could see history being made in real time.
From 2001 to 2005, Richard was an undergraduate at the University of California, San Diego, double majoring in history and political science. Hoping to make his childhood dream a reality, he applied four times to the White House internship program and, after three rejections, was finally accepted in the summer of 2005. Every day at the White House, Richard pinched himself as he walked the same halls as his childhood heroes. After completing his internship, he served as a White House staffer from 2007 to 2009. He also braved the winter snow in upstate New York to obtain a master’s in public administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University.
Throughout his life, Richard has shared his knowledge of history with his family, friends, and coworkers. His love of history led him to work at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate as a historic interpreter. It also led him to launch the podcast This American President in 2017. Thanks to the podcast, Richard is able to share his passion for history with listeners worldwide. After seven years and 100+ episodes, This American President has garnered over a million downloads and was even mentioned in Newsweek. It has also earned him appearances on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, Prager University, and the History Channel and landed him interviews with several prominent guests. These include former CIA and NSA Director Michael V. Hayden, Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise, Secret Service Agent Clint Hill, and Fox News host Bret Baier.
Richard is also an experienced op-ed writer. He has written about the lessons of history and their applicability to current events in numerous opinion editorials for the Daily Signal, the Washington Examiner, and the History News Network. While working for Stand Together, he was the ghostwriter for 81 op-eds that were published in numerous places, including Financial Times, Fox News, The Hill, National Review, RealClearPolicy, Scientific American, Townhall, USA Today, and Washington Post.
Richard Lim
Podcast host and historical commentator
Podcast Appearances
Discussions on the Lessons of History
Why Do We Have the Electoral College
Knowing about presidential politics in the United States requires knowing about the Electoral College. What is it? Why do we have it? How does it work? How does it impact the weight of your vote? How does it impact candidates' campaigning strategies—and why does that matter? Richard Lim, historian and host of the podcast This American President, joins Know Why to answer all these questions and more!
The Incorrigible Andrew Jackson
You've seen his face on a crisp $20 bill but what do you really know about him? Together, Sharon “nerds out” with This American President Podcast host, Richard Lim, on facts about an under-the-radar president who was more influential than he’s often given credit for: Andrew Jackson. Listen in as they swap their favorite facts about his blasphemous parrot, Poll, his early capture as a prisoner of war and his propensity for dueling. While in office, he also completely paid down America’s national debt by vetoing many spending bills. He was a president who reflected the people; their great flaws and their great abilities.
Women Have Been Running for President Since 1872
2016 was the first election in which a woman won the nomination of a major political party to be president of the United States. But women have been legally running for president as far back as 1872, decades before they could even vote. In this episode, History Unplugged podcast host Scott Rank and Richard Lim look at the lives of the first women to have run for president.
