With the nation in crisis, FRONTLINE investigates how President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden have responded to crises throughout their own lives.
In the midst of the historic coronavirus pandemic, economic hardship and a reckoning over racism, this November Americans will decide who leads the nation for the next four years: President Donald Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden. Ahead of the 2020 election, FRONTLINE’s critically acclaimed series “The Choice” returns with interwoven investigative biographies of both men, focusing on how they have responded in moments of crisis. In this 2-hour documentary special from veteran FRONTLINE filmmaker Michael Kirk and his team, hear from friends, family, colleagues and critics about the challenges that shaped Trump and Biden’s lives and could inform how they confront the crises facing the nation at this pivotal juncture.
Biden’s Stutter: How a Childhood Battle Shaped Him
An excerpt from “The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden” examines how Joe Biden’s intense childhood battle with stuttering shaped him.
Donald Trump – How Childhood & Military School Shaped Him
An excerpt from “The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden” examines how Donald Trump’s father and his time at military school shaped him.
Interviews
The interviews below are listed alphabetically by first name of the person being interviewed.
Anthony Scaramucci – Interview
Anthony Scaramucci is a founder and managing partner at SkyBridge Capital. In 2017, he served briefly as the White House communications director for Donald Trump. The following interview was conducted by FRONTLINE’s Gabrielle Schonder on July 8, 2020 during our reporting for the “The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden” — FRONTLINE’s critically acclaimed election series featuring the interwoven, investigative biographies of both presidential candidates. It has been edited for clarity and length.
Bakari Sellers – Interview
Bakari Sellers is a political analyst for CNN. He served as a representative in the South Carolina Legislature and is the author of the memoir My Vanishing Country. The following interview was conducted by FRONTLINE’s Jim Gilmore on July 16, 2020 during our reporting for the “The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden” — FRONTLINE’s critically acclaimed election series featuring the interwoven, investigative biographies of both presidential candidates. It has been edited for clarity and length.
Carol Moseley Braun – Interview
Carol Moseley Braun served as a U.S. senator from Illinois from 1993 to 1999. She was the first African American woman elected to the U.S. Senate and she served on the Senate Judiciary Committee. The following interview was conducted by FRONTLINE’s Jim Gilmore on July 1, 2020 during our reporting for the “The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden” — FRONTLINE’s critically acclaimed election series featuring the interwoven, investigative biographies of both presidential candidates. It has been edited for clarity and length.
Corey Lewandowski – Interview
Corey Lewandowski is a Republican political strategist and Donald Trump’s former campaign manager. He remains a close confidant to the president. The following interview was conducted by FRONTLINE’s Michael Kirk on June 18, 2020 during our reporting for the “The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden” — FRONTLINE’s critically acclaimed election series featuring the interwoven, investigative biographies of both presidential candidates. It has been edited for clarity and length.
David Marcus – Interview
David Marcus is the cousin of Roy Cohn, the attorney who served as a mentor to Donald Trump. Marcus is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist for international reporting and the author of two books about the emotional lives of teenagers. The following interview was conducted by FRONTLINE’s Gabrielle Schonder on June 29, 2020 during our reporting for the “The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden” — FRONTLINE’s critically acclaimed election series featuring the interwoven, investigative biographies of both presidential candidates. It has been edited for clarity and length.
Jill Biden – Interview
Jill Biden is an educator and is married to Joe Biden. She served as second lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. The following interview was conducted by FRONTLINE’s Jim Gilmore on August 5, 2020 during our reporting for the “The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden” — FRONTLINE’s critically acclaimed election series featuring the interwoven, investigative biographies of both presidential candidates. It has been edited for clarity and length.
Jim Clyburn – Interview
Jim Clyburn is a U.S. representative from South Carolina. His endorsement of Joe Biden is widely credited with propelling the candidate to victory in South Carolina’s 2020 presidential primary election. The following interview was conducted by FRONTLINE’s Jim Gilmore on July 7, 2020 during our reporting for the “The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden” — FRONTLINE’s critically acclaimed election series featuring the interwoven, investigative biographies of both presidential candidates. It has been edited for clarity and length.
John Bolton – Interview
John Bolton served as national security adviser to Donald Trump from 2018 to 2019. He was previously the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and is the author of The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir. The following interview was conducted by FRONTLINE’s Gabrielle Schonder on July 31, 2020 during our reporting for the “The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden” — FRONTLINE’s critically acclaimed election series featuring the interwoven, investigative biographies of both presidential candidates. It has been edited for clarity and length.
Mary Trump – Interview
Mary Trump is the niece of Donald Trump and the author of Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man. The following interview was conducted by FRONTLINE’s Gabrielle Schonder on July 30, 2020 during our reporting for the “The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden” — FRONTLINE’s critically acclaimed election series featuring the interwoven, investigative biographies of both presidential candidates. It has been edited for clarity and length.
Peggy Noonan – Interview
Peggy Noonan is a political columnist for The Wall Street Journal. She is the author of nine books on U.S. politics and culture, most recently The Time of Our Lives: Politics, Passions, and Provocations. The following interview was conducted by FRONTLINE’s Jim Gilmore on July 29, 2020 during our reporting for the “The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden” — FRONTLINE’s critically acclaimed election series featuring the interwoven, investigative biographies of both presidential candidates. It has been edited for clarity and length.
Rudy Giuliani – Interview
Rudy Giuliani is a politician and attorney who serves as one of Donald Trump’s personal lawyers. Giuliani was the mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. The following interview was conducted by FRONTLINE’s Michael Kirk on June 12, 2020 during our reporting for the “The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden” — FRONTLINE’s critically acclaimed election series featuring the interwoven, investigative biographies of both presidential candidates. It has been edited for clarity and length.
Valerie Biden Owens – Interview
Valerie Biden Owens is Joe Biden’s sister and has managed his seven senatorial campaigns, as well as his two previous presidential campaigns. The following interview was conducted by FRONTLINE’s Jim Gilmore on July 21, 2020 during our reporting for the “The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden” — FRONTLINE’s critically acclaimed election series featuring the interwoven, investigative biographies of both presidential candidates. It has been edited for clarity and length.
Valerie Jarrett – Interview
Valerie Jarrett served as a senior adviser to President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017. The following interview was conducted by FRONTLINE’s Jim Gilmore on August 21, 2020 during our reporting for the “The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden” — FRONTLINE’s critically acclaimed election series featuring the interwoven, investigative biographies of both presidential candidates. It has been edited for clarity and length.
Yusef Salaam – Interview
Yusef Salaam was falsely accused of rape and assault of a jogger in Central Park in 1989 in what has become known as the “Central Park Five” case. He was exonerated in 2002 and is now an activist and motivational speaker. The following interview was conducted by FRONTLINE’s Gabrielle Schonder on June 30, 2020 during our reporting for the “The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden” — FRONTLINE’s critically acclaimed election series featuring the interwoven, investigative biographies of both presidential candidates. It has been edited for clarity and length.
[Video Date: 22 Sep 2020. Posted: 24 Sep 2020.]