Beltway Briefing Podcast
Episode 376 – In-Conversation: Susan Eisenhower on Ike from D-Day to the White House
May 11, 2026
What does it actually take to lead at the highest stakes moments in history — and what can that teach us about leadership today? Susan Eisenhower, founder of The Eisenhower Group and granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, joins Howard Schweitzer, chief executive officer of Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, for a conversation that goes behind the history books and into the real story of how Ike led. From his willingness to challenge conventional wisdom while at West Point to commanding the Allied Forces on D-Day to the presidency, Howard and Susan explore what made Ike’s leadership both extraordinary and deeply human — his authenticity, his humility, his willingness to accept failure, and his belief that democracy itself must be actively defended. Drawing on personal family insights that no historian could access, the discussion illuminates a model of principled leadership that feels not just relevant but urgently necessary.
