Bill Clinton recalls meeting John McCain at the White House while he was governor of Arkansas, and details working with McCain while he was president to improve relations between the U.S. and Vietnam. He discusses Hillary Clinton’s friendship with McCain and their joint work to build bipartisan consensus around climate change.

William Jefferson Clinton was born in 1946 in Hope, Arkansas. He graduated from Georgetown University and in 1968 won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University. He received a law degree from Yale University and entered politics in Arkansas. In 1975, Clinton married Hillary Rodham and in 1980 Chelsea, their only child, was born. Bill Clinton was elected Governor of Arkansas in 1978, but lost a bid for reelection in 1980. He regained the governorship two years later and served until 1993. During his time in office, Governor Clinton earned national recognition for his progressive programs, especially his efforts to improve the quality of public education. He defeated Republican President George Bush and independent candidate Ross Perot in the presidential election in 1992. When President Clinton won reelection in 1996, he became the first Democrat since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win a second term. Following the early failure of his health care reform initiative, President Clinton pursued a moderate but progressive domestic agenda. During his tenure, the welfare system was reformed, the sale of handguns was restricted, environmental regulations were strengthened, and a massive federal budget deficit was turned into a surplus. Internationally, the Clinton Administration expanded international trade, intervened militarily to end “ethnic cleansing” in Bosnia, launched peace and trade initiatives in Africa and the Middle East, and promoted a framework for peace aimed at ending the strife in Northern Ireland. In 1998, his relationship with a young White House intern resulted in the President’s impeachment by the House of Representatives. A trial in the Senate found the President not guilty of the charges brought against him. President Clinton apologized for his conduct and vowed to keep working as hard as he could for the American people.

From the 2018 HBO / Kunhardt Film Foundation (KFF) Documentary "John McCain: For Whom The Bell Tolls." Shortly after being diagnosed with brain cancer, McCain allowed unprecedented access to his daily life in Washington. Offers an indepth look at the life of John McCain, from his time as a POW in Vietnam to his three decades of service in the US Senate.

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Bill Clinton, Former President of the United States
Interviewed By: Teddy Kunhardt
Interview Date: December 18, 2017

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