George Washington is usually remembered as the stoic general and reluctant president — not as a whiskey mogul. In this episode of The American Presidency: Unfiltered, host Brad Pitzl uncorks one of the most deliciously ironic chapters of Washington’s post-presidential life: his role as the owner of one of the largest distilleries in early America. From copper stills at Mount Vernon to thousands of gallons of rye whiskey produced each year, this episode explores how the father of the country quietly became a surprisingly savvy booze entrepreneur.

Along the way, Brad draws witty parallels to other presidents who mixed politics with profit, from peanut farms to real estate empires, and examines the contradictions baked into America’s founding. How did the man who crushed the Whiskey Rebellion end up cashing in on whiskey himself? What does Washington’s side hustle tell us about power, image, and money in the early republic? It’s history with a twist — best enjoyed neat

The American Presidency: Unfiltered is back with another delightfully strange chapter from the White House archives. Hosted by Brad Pitzl, this episode dives into the unforgettable 1837 moment when President Andrew Jackson was gifted a 1,400-pound wheel of cheese and decided to share it with the public. What followed was less a polite reception and more a chaotic, cheese-fueled spectacle as thousands of guests descended on the White House and devoured the entire block in just a few hours. Some called it civic hospitality, others called it mayhem, and a few historians still refer to it as the “Great Cheese Levy.”

Structured into five sharp segments, with a clear intro and outro, this episode separates fact from folklore while having plenty of fun along the way. Brad explores why the cheese existed in the first place, how Jackson used it as a political symbol, what actually happened inside the White House that day, and why this bizarre event still says a lot about populism, power, and presidential image-making. It’s a reminder that American history is not just speeches and wars—it’s also crowds, chaos, and occasionally, a truly unreasonable amount of cheese.

In this episode of The American Presidency: Unfiltered, host Brad Pitzl explores one of the most unexpected footnotes in the Reagan years: how Ronald Reagan, the ultimate conservative icon and Cold War hardliner, quietly had help from the stars. After surviving the 1981 assassination attempt, Reagan’s wife Nancy Reagan reportedly brought an astrologer into the fold to help schedule key moments on the presidential calendar. It’s a revelation that feels almost sitcom-worthy. The man known for projecting strength, certainty, and old-school American confidence was also checking planetary alignments before big events. The episode has fun with the contradiction, poking at the irony without ever turning cruel, and reminding listeners that even the toughest leaders are still human when they stare down their own mortality.

Brad also speculates on just how far the cosmic consulting may have gone. Did astrology play a role in choosing dates for major speeches, diplomatic summits, or high-stakes Cold War meetings? Was a favorable star chart consulted before a State of the Union or a pivotal Oval Office address? While the astrologer never shaped policy, the idea that timing might have been guided by Saturn and Jupiter adds a strange, almost charming layer to the Reagan White House. The episode keeps things lighthearted, acknowledging that while the story clashes with Reagan’s public image, it may have made perfect emotional sense after nearly losing his life. And despite the star charts and New Age undertones, Reagan remains one of the most popular and influential presidents in American history, proving that even legends can have a few surprising quirks written in the stars.