Attendees were tight-lipped about what was discussed at the gathering. One would only go so far as to say they “talked about American history and its bearing on the present — a lively exchange of ideas.”

Another person in the room, who like the others was not authorized to speak publicly about a private meeting, said the historians urged the president “to call out the moment for what it is.” In blunt terms, the academics discussed looming threats to the nation’s democracy and warned about the slow crawl of authoritarianism around the globe.

Biden listened intently and asked questions, the participant said. “This is something that he cares about deeply,” the person said.

Over the course of his presidency, Biden has
periodically convened groups of
top scholars and historians for big-picture conversations about his legacy, as well as existential threats to the country. Wednesday’s lunch meeting comes ahead of Biden’s speech this Friday in
Valley Forge, Pa., marking the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“This is something that he tends to do, especially as we head towards an important day like Jan. 6,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during Wednesday’s press briefing.

The subject matter is familiar for Biden. He has repeatedly declared that he vowed to run for president after watching the racist demonstrators march on Charlottesville, Va., in 2017 when then-President Donald Trump declared there were good people “on both sides” of the protests. He called that race a battle for the “very soul of the nation” and now believes the stakes are higher.

Biden watched the U.S. Capitol insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021, from his transition headquarters in Wilmington, Del. He had hoped that the riot would bring the Trump era to an end. But since then, the former president has tightened his grip on the Republican Party. Biden has repeatedly warned that the dangers of anti-democratic forces have grown, using his speeches to mark the two previous anniversaries of the insurrection — one delivered from the Capitol.

The president also made it central to his efforts to aid Democrats in 2022’s midterm elections — which included a speech at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall — and credited it in part for the party’s surprisingly strong showing. He returned to the theme last year at the McCain Institute and will revisit it at another historically symbolic venue this weekend at the headquarters of General George Washington’s Continental Army during the American Revolution.

Eugene Daniels contributed reporting.