Experts in the News | Miller Center

Trump is now sabotaging national security to soothe his bruised ego

“This does not have to be a political crisis. The election was not historically close,” writes William J. Antholis, director of the University of Virginia’s Miller Center for public policy. Indeed, Biden’s battleground margins and electoral vote count are similar to Trump’s in 2016, which Trump called a “landslide.” Overall, Biden won by 4.4 million votes (and still climbing). In particular, Antholis notes, national security transitions are “complicated and dangerous.” It’s no coincidence that the Bay of Pigs in 1961, Black Hawk Down in 1993 and the 9/11 attacks all came during the first year of presidential terms.

William Antholis

Election demonstrates urban-rural divide in America

A University of Virginia professor says the 2020 election results show a lot about the urban-rural divide in America. "The 2020 election and its results make the stakes of the metropolitan urban-rural divide really clear for both parties. We’ve had a really striking pattern that shows there is a strong identification of where people live. We call 'geographic sort' that Americans increasingly live among their fellow partisans in their immediate communities. The results show that the country ultimately responded to Biden’s message of trying to reduce tension in the U.S. and find a way pass the polarization," said Guian McKee, a professor at UVA's Miller Center.

Guian McKee

Biden forges ahead with transition as Trump administration holds up resources

President-elect Joe Biden is forging ahead with his transition team, announcing plans for several executive orders and creating a COVID-19 task force with top health experts. But so far, the General Services Administration is making the process more challenging by delaying federal resources. Chris Lu, who was involved in President Obama's transition, joined CBSN to explain why the process is important.

Chris Lu

Trump appointee slow-walks Biden transition. That could delay the president-elect's Covid-19 plan.

Chris Lu, who led President Barack Obama's transition in 2008, said: "Close cooperation between the outgoing and incoming administrations is always important, but it's especially critical when the country is facing a public health crisis and an economic recession. "It's time for Donald Trump to put the national interest above his political interest," he added.

Chris Lu

Carnegie Connects: The World Reacts to a Biden Presidency

While Biden’s ascent to the presidency will likely transform the foreign policies pursued by his predecessor toward allies and adversaries alike, much uncertainty remains. With challenges of domestic recovery from pandemic to recession to severe polarization—a Biden administration’s bandwidth on foreign policy will be limited and likely compel it to set priorities abroad. And with no way to predict what actions his defeated predecessor may take during a transition to complicate the new president’s agenda, the road ahead is sure to be steep. Join us as three veteran scholars and discuss how China, Europe, and Iran view a Biden presidency, what they expect, and how they might respond in the months ahead.

Evan Feigenbaum

Biden campaign urges federal agency to approve official transition

The United States has seen other narrowly decided elections - notably in 1876 and 2000 - but this election was “not historically close”, said William Antholis, a former White House official during Democrat Bill Clinton’s administration who now heads the University of Virginia’s Miller Center think tank.

William Antholis