They don’t play “Hail to the Chief” anymore when President Bill Clinton shows up, but there’s an equally welcome sound he still hears all the time. “We love you!” shouts a bystander in Harlem.

Here, walking the streets with Clinton feels a lot like a victory lap. The former president settled here shortly after leaving office. At the time he was only 54, recently unemployed, but determined to use his influence, contacts and know-how to make a difference as a private individual.

He said as much even in his final address to the nation: “In the years to come, I will never hold a higher position or a holier covenant than that of President of the United States. But there is no title I will carry with more pride than that of citizen.”

In the 24 years since he gave that speech, Citizen Clinton has accomplished enough to fill several lives — and the pages of a new book, “Citizen: My Life After the White House” (to be published by Knopf on Tuesday).

When asked what he was most proud of that he had done while he was out of the White House, Clinton replied, “I think what I’m most proud of is that I proved that as a private citizen you can can make a big difference. .”

Whatever the case, he did that. Through his Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative, which partners business leaders with nonprofits, he has helped fund projects worldwide – to name a few, a program to combat HIV/AIDS in South Africa, and a large-scale clean water project in Rwanda. Closer to home, his foundation helped with everything from the energy-saving renovation of New York’s Empire State Building, to combating drug overdoses domestically, to upgrading street lighting in Los Angeles. They also helped finance construction jobs to rebuild crumbling infrastructure.

“We’ve raised $16 billion from union pension funds to get people to work,” he said. “It was the largest in the country at the time. I’m proud of that because I think people are happy when they do things that actually improve things.”

The president also ran for the Harris-Walz ticket in the final weeks of the campaign and says he was disappointed, but not entirely surprised, by the outcome.

I asked, “Do you think part of the issue is that America just isn’t ready for a female president?”

“Maybe,” Clinton replied. “I think in some ways we’ve moved to the right in response to all the unrest. And I think if Hillary had been nominated in 2008, she would have walked in just like Obama did.”

“Has the country changed?”

“Well, I think in some ways all these cultural battles that we’re having make it harder for a woman to run.”

“So you think it has more to do with party than gender?”

“No,” he said. “Although I think it would probably be easier for a conservative Republican woman to win.”

“Then a Democratic woman?”

“Uh-huh. Because, I mean, that’s what Maggie Thatcher did,” Clinton said. “But I still think we will have a female president soon.”

“How soon? Within your lifetime?”

‘Oh yes. Well, I don’t know how long I’ll live. You ask an old man that question!’ he laughed. “I hope I’ll be there next time. But now it’s President Trump’s turn. It depends on what he does and how it plays.”

We spoke last week as the president-elect was busy naming his new Cabinet, shaking up Washington, DC and beyond.

I asked, “Are the guardrails down?”

“Well, there’s no obvious guardrail,” Clinton responded. “The Senate has shown some indigestion over some of these proposed appointments. We’ll see what happens there. You know, somewhere along the way (Trump) is going to have to think about whether, in this chapter of his life, he still thinks that the most important thing is to have unquestionable dominance, because that’s not what a democracy is about.”

“So you’re saying President Trump might change his mind?”

“Maybe so. I grew up in the Baptist Church. I believe in deathbed conversions! I guess you can’t give it up,” Clinton said. “But I think the rest of us just have to be diligent, pay attention to the signs and be willing to stand up for what we think is right, even if they take a piece out of our skin.”

In his book, the president writes candidly about his health problems, including his battle with his weight. But he couldn’t resist stopping by the famous soul food restaurant Sylvia’s, if only for a cup of coffee.

I asked, “If you were to eat here, what would you get?”

‘In the middle of the afternoon? Then I got a piece of cake.’

“I know you talk about this in your book. Do you need to pay a little attention to your diet now?’

“A lot,” Clinton said. “It’s unbelievable how low your metabolism gets.”

If he’s candid about his health, he’s just as open about past controversies. Clinton writes about Monica Lewinsky and applauds her recent work on bullying.

Why make a big deal about that? He said, ‘Because I felt I had to say something about it, and I wanted to be as helpful as possible by getting her to turn the page. I think she should be given the opportunity to build a life that is about her and the world. future, and not, you know, getting swept up in an old story.

So while he is aware of the past, Bill Clinton continues to move forward, making connections large and small, and still trying – and often succeeding – in his effort to change the world.

“I don’t mind people jumping on me; I just talk to them,” he said. ‘And I don’t play them all. You don’t have to change everyone; you just have to get enough of it.

“We all need to loosen up and get back into the game. … There’s another thing, and I say this a lot in the book: We’re all keeping score. You’ve been doing this for a long time. You’re keeping the score in mind about this interview compared to 15 others you’ve done. And I guess the way I keep score is: Are people better off when you stop than when you started, do children have a better future Together instead of being separated? torn? So for me it’s enough if I click on these three things yes can answer.

“I know there are no permanent victories or defeats in politics,” Clinton said. “And I have no interest in being an armchair quarterback other than to help my team perform better. And I think they have tremendous talent. So I wish them all the best, and I will trying to help. But in the meantime, I’m just going to adapt and do what I do.”

READ AN EXCERPT: “Citizen: My Life After the White House” by Bill Clinton

For more information:

Story produced by John D’Amelio. Editor: Ed Givnish.