doi:10.7916/s0vy-fn96Oral history interview with Ta-Nehisi P. Coates, 2022Coates, Ta-Nehisioral historiesmixed materialPresidents--United StatesAuthorsWhite supremacy (Social structure)--History--United StatesBlack mass media--United StatesCoates, Ta-NehisiObama, BarackTa-Nehisi Coates reflects on the Obama presidency, and discusses his interviews and interactions with President Obama. Coates recounts his initial impressions of Barack Obama, and analyzes the 2008 presidential campaign cycle, with particular attention to the contemporary economic, social, and cultural circumstances that made the election of a Black candidate possible. He considers the Obama administration's handling of major events, and speaks widely about themes central to the presidency, including Obama's cultural power; the importance of attention to the symbolic power of the presidency; racist backlash to Obama's election and presence in the White House; the centrality of white supremacy in American history; Obama's pursuit of bipartisanship; and the relationship between the Obama presidency and the election of Donald Trump. Coates also describes his participation in Obama's off-the-record meetings with journalists and the series of interviews he conducted with the president during the final months of Obama's second term. Also discussed are Coates' evaluation of the Obama administration's major policy decisions and initiatives; the virtues and limitations of Obama's approach to politics; and the impact of Obama's election on Black writers, journalists, and media figures