They call it the most exclusive club in the world. It’s a group that nobody can apply to join, and the entry fee is, quite literally, the most stressful four to eight years a human being can endure. Right now, the list of US ex presidents alive is a fascinating cross-section of American history, ranging from a man who left office in the late 1970s to the most recent departure from the West Wing.
It’s weird.
One day you're the leader of the free world, and the next, you're a private citizen who isn't even allowed to drive a car on an open road. Seriously. The Secret Service doesn't let them drive themselves on public streets for the rest of their lives. That’s just one of the many bizarre realities of life after the presidency.
The Current Roster of Former Commanders-in-Chief
As of early 2026, the lineup of living former presidents includes Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. Each of these men occupies a very different space in the American psyche.
Jimmy Carter is the outlier. He’s the oldest living president in history, having entered hospice care in early 2023. His longevity is basically a medical miracle at this point. People often forget that when he left office in 1981, he was widely viewed as a political failure. But he spent the next forty-plus years rebuilding his image through the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity. He turned the "ex-presidency" into a full-time job of service. It’s a model that some have followed, while others have taken a very different path.
Then you’ve got the "Class of the 90s and 2000s." Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. It’s kinda funny how they’ve become friends over the years. They call it a "bromance" in the media sometimes. Despite their massive ideological differences, they share the trauma of the office. They understand things that no one else can. They’ve both dealt with health scares—heart surgeries for Clinton, various issues for Bush—but they remain active in their respective foundations.
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Why the Number of US Ex Presidents Alive Matters for Diplomacy
Most people think of former presidents as just retired guys who write memoirs and charge $250,000 for a 45-minute speech. That’s part of it, sure. But they are also massive diplomatic assets.
The State Department often uses US ex presidents alive as "shadow diplomats." Remember when Bill Clinton went to North Korea in 2009 to secure the release of two American journalists? Or when Jimmy Carter flew to Pyongyang in the 90s? These guys have a level of "soft power" that a sitting Secretary of State sometimes lacks. They can talk to dictators or rivals without the official weight of the US government's current policy on their shoulders. It provides "plausible deniability."
The Obama and Trump Eras: A New Kind of Post-Presidency
Barack Obama and Donald Trump have handled their post-presidency years in starkly different ways. Obama went the media route. He signed huge deals with Netflix and Spotify. He’s producing documentaries. He’s still relatively young, so he’s trying to influence culture as much as politics. He’s essentially become a global brand.
Donald Trump, on the other hand, broke the mold entirely. Traditionally, former presidents stay out of the day-to-day political mudslinging. They don't criticize their successor. Trump threw that rulebook out the window. He stayed at the center of the Republican party, ran for office again, and maintained a constant presence in the news cycle. Whether you love him or hate him, his post-presidency has been the most disruptive in American history.
The Logistics of Life After the Oval Office
Let’s talk money and safety. It isn't cheap to keep these guys around. Under the Former Presidents Act of 1958, they get a pension. It's roughly equal to the salary of a Cabinet Secretary—somewhere around $230,000 a year. They also get office space, staff travel funds, and, of course, the Secret Service.
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The protection detail is the big one. It costs taxpayers tens of millions of dollars annually to protect all the US ex presidents alive and their spouses. It's a lifetime commitment. Even if they're just going to Starbucks or playing a round of golf in Palm Springs, there's a team of armed agents and a high-tech communications suite following them.
The Burden of the "Black Box"
There’s also the mental weight. Every living former president still receives high-level intelligence briefings if they want them. They still know the secrets. They know where the bodies are buried, metaphorically speaking. This creates a strange social bubble. You can't really talk to your old friends about what's on your mind because what's on your mind is classified.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a gilded cage.
Misconceptions About the Post-Presidency
One thing people get wrong is the idea that they all hate each other. While the political rhetoric is sharp, the personal relationships are often cordial. Bush 43 famously gives Michelle Obama cough drops at funerals. They share a bond of having survived the "pressure cooker."
Another myth? That they’re all "rich" from the presidency. While modern presidents make a killing on book deals, it wasn't always that way. Harry Truman was so broke after leaving office that Congress had to pass the Former Presidents Act just so he wouldn't have to take a job that might "demean" the office. Today, being a former president is a license to print money, but the tradition of the pension remains.
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What Happens When the Club Shrinks?
The death of a former president is a massive logistical undertaking known as "State Funeral" planning. Each living president actually has a funeral plan on file with the Military District of Washington. They choose the music, the speakers, and the burial site years in advance. When a member of this group passes, it’s one of the few times you’ll see all the other US ex presidents alive in one place. It’s a moment of national pause, regardless of the person's approval rating when they left office.
Practical Insights for Following Presidential History
If you’re interested in how these figures continue to shape the world, there are a few things you can do to see their impact beyond the headlines:
- Visit the Presidential Libraries: These aren't just dusty archives. They are massive museums that reflect how each president wants to be remembered. The Obama Center in Chicago and the Bush Library in Dallas are very different experiences.
- Track the Carter Center’s Reports: If you want to see how a former president can actually change global health, look at their work on Guinea worm disease. They’ve nearly eradicated it.
- Watch the "Shadow Diplomacy": Keep an eye on which former presidents are sent as representatives to foreign inaugurations or funerals. It tells you a lot about the current administration’s relationship with that country.
The "President's Club" remains a vital, if weird, part of the American machinery. They are the living embodiment of the country's recent past, and their continued presence provides a weird sort of continuity in a very divided era.
To stay truly informed on the activities of the former presidents, you should regularly check the official National Archives (NARA) updates on presidential libraries, as these institutions are the primary hubs for their ongoing public work and historical legacy projects. Additionally, monitoring the annual reports of the Carter Center or the Clinton Foundation provides a clearer picture of their philanthropic impact than standard news snippets ever will.