The First Gentleman

The First Gentleman is the third collaboration between former US president Bill Clinton and best-selling thriller author James Patterson. Their books weave Clinton’s experience in the White House with Patterson’s experience writing military and spy action thrillers. Their first collaboration, The President is Missing, was published in 2018 and went on to become a bestseller. Their second collaboration, The President’s Daughter, was published in 2021. In the second novel, the president’s daughter is kidnapped by an Islamist terrorist group in collaboration with the Chinese government, and the president has to rescue her using diplomacy and military pressure.

The First Gentleman focuses on the experiences of the husband of the first female president of the United States. It was borne out of President Clinton’s consideration of what his role would have been as First Gentleman had his wife, former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, won the presidential election in 2016. As Clinton stated in multiple interviews, “It’s the only job I ever wanted that I didn’t get” (Mulroy, Clare. “Bill Clinton Reveals Key White House Details in Murderous New Political Thriller.” USA Today, 2 June 2025). The eponymous fictional First Gentleman Cole Wright is a self-insert character, as Cole shares many common characteristics with President Clinton, such as a passion for jogging and a love of public speaking and glad-handing. Cole’s support of his wife’s political career echoes Clinton’s support of Hilary’s presidential run. Likewise, the fictional President Madeline Wright shares qualities with Hilary, such as dedication to her political rise even though it requires personal sacrifices.

Bill Clinton served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He ran and governed as a “Third Way” Democrat, meaning he sought to triangulate a moderate, pro-business stance between the Republican Party and the left wing of the Democratic Party. He touted his ability to negotiate “across the aisle” with members of the other party. A core focus of Clinton’s presidency was balancing the federal budget through government reform—a political approach reflected in The First Gentleman.

Clinton’s political career was plagued by allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment, most notably his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Echoes of Clinton’s political scandals permeate the plot of The First Gentleman. For example, the self-insert fictional character of Cole is accused of rape while at university. The novel eventually reveals that these rumors were false, spread out of jealousy and resentment. Cole’s response in the book remains consistent with Clinton’s response to rape allegations made by Juanita Broaddrick. In 1999, Broaddrick publicly alleged that Clinton raped her in 1978. However, Broaddrick’s testimony was inconsistent, the charges were never proved, and it was argued that Broaddrick and her supporting witnesses were politically motivated to lie to tarnish Clinton’s political career (“Is Juanita Broaddrick Telling the Truth?” Slate, 3 March 1999), similar to attempts to damage Cole’s reputation in The First Gentleman. James Patterson, the author of numerous best-selling thrillers, most notably the Alex Cross series of mysteries, has stated that Clinton significantly helped shape the narrative for each of their three collaborations.