Experts in the News | Miller Center

Are Trump’s Actions Truly Unprecedented? We Asked 35 Historians.

“Mr. Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase; the annexation of Texas; national expansion to the southwest and California; and occasional trial balloons about the acquisition of Cuba — there is a long history of such efforts. But these impulses have been largely dead since at least the middle of the 20th century," says Russell Riley.

Russell Riley, Marc Selverstone

Another Turning Point

Turning Point: The Vietnam War, which premieres on this anniversary, is a new five-part Netflix documentary series.

Ken Hughes

After the Arrests and Bullets, Trump Takes on Second Term With a New Fervor

"If history provides any guide here, the rebalancing will come. The question is how much pain we’ll have to endure until the constitutional order finds a more stable equilibrium that commands broad assent from the public," said Selverstone.

Marc Selverstone

The Globe has tracked the most notable moves of Trump’s first 100 days of his second term. Here’s what we found.

“It’s a shift to see efforts to bring all of the executive branch within the president’s political and personal control,” said Andrew Rudalevige, a Bowdoin College professor and senior fellow at the Miller Center at University of Virginia. “That’s not unprecedented in American history, but it’s very different than the history of the last, say, 50 years since Watergate.”

Andrew Rudalevige

Life has 'been turned upside down': Fired federal worker talks DOGE impact on Trump’s first 100 days

Barbara Perry, a presidential historian at the University of Virginia, said presidents from Ronald Reagan to Bill Clinton tried to streamline government, but DOGE stands out.

Barbara Perry

Public policy in a complex age

For 50 years, the Miller Center has convened bipartisan groups of scholars and practitioners to enrich scholarly research and help shape public policy. Join us for a roundtable discussion on public policy in three critical areas: healthcare, national security, and executive branch reform. Each policy area will feature an historian paired with an experienced government practitioner to discuss perspectives on responsible and effective public policy.

David Leblang, Bob Strong, Marc Selverstone, Rachel Potter, Guian McKee, and Mara Rudman