Experts in the News | Miller Center

The Ongoing Vandalism of Our Government

Eric and Eliot try to parse the firehose of insanity and self-harm emanating from the Trump administration. They discuss the disestablishment of the Office of Net Assessment in the Pentagon, a little-known but important institution created during the Cold War. They also discuss the silencing of the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, and Radio Marti despite the vital role these institutions played in the country’s success in the Cold War.

Eric Edelman

'How the Best Did It: Leadership Lessons From Our Top Presidents

Talmage Boston, acclaimed author and historian, discusses his new book, How the Best Did It: Leadership Lessons from Our Top Presidents, in a conversation with historian and Miller Center Senior Fellow Steven Gillon, moderated by Marc Selverstone, the Miller Center’s director of presidential studies. Drawing on the lives of America’s eight greatest presidents, Boston reveals the leadership traits that propelled them to success and explores how those same principles can be applied in today's world. With insightful analysis and personal reflections on figures like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln, Boston offers a fresh perspective with timeless lessons.

Marc Selverstone, Steven M. Gillon

As Trump dismantles the Kennedy legacy — with help from RFK Jr. — a storied American family is at odds with itself

From RFK Jr.‘s 2024 primary challenge to former president Joe Biden, to his eventual endorsement of Trump and nomination as health secretary, deepening fissures within the family have gradually become public. That could represent a breaking point, said Barbara Perry, a professor at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center who has written several books about the family.

Barbara Perry

The growing legend of the missing Oval Office ivy

The plant may still date back to Kennedy, but no evidence proves it. Barbara Ann Perry, a Kennedy scholar, says the first dated photo she can find of the ivy in the Oval Office is from the Ford administration.

Barbara Perry

Exploring democracy and Christianity

Join us for a conversation about the relationship between democracy and Christianity with author and journalist Jonathan Rauch and UVA faculty Colin Bird and Laurie Maffly-Kipp, moderated by Miller Center Senior Faculty Fellow John Owen.

John Owen

Deb Haaland divorces husband after launching campaign for governor

"Voters typically do not care about marital status, and single and married candidates fare equally well," Jennifer Lawless, professor of politics at the University of Virginia, wrote to the Journal. "The challenge with a divorce, of course, is being able to navigate a difficult personal time and a competitive statewide election simultaneously ... If candidates who are in the process of getting divorced tend not to fare well, it's likely because of the personal toll the change in circumstances takes."

Jennifer Lawless