Watch the video HERE
WASHINGTON D.C. (July 23, 2026) – In the latest installment of the McCain Institute’s Authors & Insights series, former U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) discusses his book, “The Education of a Senator: From JFK to Trump” with McCain Institute Executive Director Dr. Evelyn Farkas.
The conversation between Dr. Farkas and Sen. Alexander covers his new memoir that tells the story of American politics from the perspective of a former Governor, two-time presidential candidate, Secretary of Education, and U.S. Senator whose career spanned nearly six decades of leadership and 10 presidents. They discuss his experience working with President Johnson on the Civil Rights Act and finding common ground with Presidents Obama and Trump. They also discuss character-driven leadership, the importance of public service, the current situation in Ukraine, and memories of Sen. McCain.
Notable remarks from Sen. Alexander during the Authors & Insights event:
On character-driven leadership:
“I’ve had a chance to work with 10 presidents over the last nearly six decades… and my conclusion is that I’m a very Republican Republican, I’m a conservative, but the most important characteristics for a president or anyone in public life to me are character and temperament. And after that they can lean left or lean right…”
On the state of democracy and advice for current senators:
“If my Republican colleagues ask my advice, I will say I would have breakfast every Tuesday with the Democrats and read Article 1 of the Constitution to each other because the Constitution – to preserve our freedoms – split up the power. The founders didn’t trust human nature…they wanted checks and balances. So, the way for the President and the Senate to work together better is for the Senate to be more assertive, and John McCain was certainly assertive… it takes senators who understand that they are elected not to work for the President but to work for the people and that giving the President advice does not mean you don’t like him – actually the president needs the advice of independent senators…”
Message to young people on pursuing public service:
“I wrote my book to persuade them to do that and hopefully to inspire them to do it and to let them know that… figuring out how to be elected or to go to work for somebody else who has is the surest way to help the most people and to be a part of keeping our Republic from falling apart. You can do a lot of good things in private life, but there are some things that just have to be done in public life.”
On making a contribution through public office:
“If you’re trying to solve the immigration problem, trying to cure cancer, or trying to solve the problem of people with HIV Aids or build our national defense, all these things Senator McCain worked on, well, then your best chance to do that is from an elected position, and not always in the Senate. You can do it as the as a school board member or the mayor or the city councilman, or you can do it working for somebody who’s elected.”
On his most unlikely partnerships and finding common ground:
“It would probably be a tie between President Obama and President Trump…the people elected the president, and they elected me and they expect us to respect each other’s office and work together when we can, and I was able to do that with President Obama… when I was chairman of the education and health committee and I was able to do that with President Trump on a number of things…”
On Vladamir Putin and Ukraine:
“We need to remember history and not allow tyrants like Putin to run over Ukraine. John McCain spent a lot of time reminding us of that, and that was very, very important to do so. As a big power, we have big responsibilities and we need to exercise them.”
Remembering John McCain:
“There’s a wonderful story [in the book] about John McCain talking to us when we were at Christmas time, when we were debating the health care bill and how he…talked about the time in 1970 when he’d been in solitary confinement for two years, and the guards took him out to exercise. One of them drew a cross in the dirt…and I remember John saying… aren’t we lucky to live in this country as we do?”
Click HERE to view the complete discussion.
The McCain Institute’s Authors & Insights series features interviews with authors of important books on American politics, policy, and leadership that affirm the importance of character-driven leadership and America’s role in the international community. Previous authors have included the late former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright, journalist Anne Applebaum, former U.S. Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark Esper, CBS News’ Major Garrett and elections expert David Becker, former World Food Programme Executive Director Amb. Cindy McCain, CNN’s Jake Tapper, former POLITICO National Security Reporter Alex Ward, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, and more.
The McCain Institute is grateful to the Merrill Family Foundation for the generous support of the Authors & Insights series.
About the McCain Institute at Arizona State University
The McCain Institute is a nonpartisan organization inspired by Senator John McCain and his family’s dedication to public service. We are part of Arizona State University and based in Washington, D.C. Our programs defend democracy, advance human rights and freedom, and empower character-driven leaders. Our unique power to convene leaders across the global political spectrum enables us to make a real impact on the world’s most pressing challenges. Our goal is action, not talk, and like Senator McCain, we are fighting to create a free, safe, and just world for all.
About Arizona State University
Arizona State University has developed a new model for the American research university, creating an institution that is committed to access, excellence and impact. ASU measures itself by those it includes, not by those it excludes. As the prototype for a New American University, ASU pursues research that contributes to the public good, and ASU assumes major responsibility for the economic, social and cultural vitality of the communities that surround it.