Experts in the News | Miller Center

Trump’s Softer Tone Masks Hard Road Ahead for Agenda in Congress

On Tuesday, "the outsized personality, reality-show persona of Donald Trump" was toned down, said Barbara Perry, a presidential historian at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center of Public Affairs.

Barbara Perry

Join Miller Center expert Barbara Perry for a special "JFK@100" seminar

The Miller Center invites you join us for a special seminar, “JFK at 100,” to be taught by Barbara Perry in Boston May 23

Yes, Trump did sound 'presidential.' Here's the science that shows why.

Russell Riley said Trump, who has the lowest approval rating of any president after a month in office, according to Gallup’s weekly poll, will likely see a bump from the address, though it may not last long. “It's a controlled environment and it puts the president at the center of government in a very ceremonial way,” Riley said. “It does exactly what Woodrow Wilson wanted: to elevate the presidency out of these other equal institutions and place him at the very center of the politics. It's a nice experience to be very much the center of attention in that environment.”

Russell Riley

The Dinner and the Donald

If Donald Trump has done something good while in office – and I'm open to the argument that he hasn't – it would be throwing a wrench in the regular order of the White House Correspondents Dinner. Since Inauguration Day, journalists have been wringing their hands over whether to attend the dinner, which has become an evening where the president and press roast, then tip their hats to, one another. It's all done with a wink: We tease because we love, because at the end of the day, we're all on the same team.

Nicole Hemmer

Historic context of the Trump presidency

Brian Balogh is a Professor of History at the University of Virginia and co-host of Backstory Radio, the nationally syndicated podcast popular on public radio stations around the country. Brian joins host Coy Barefoot for a fascinating conversation about the historic context of the Trump presidency.

Brian Balogh

How The Media Are Using Encryption Tools To Collect Anonymous Tips

"At the White House and at the Department of Labor," says Chris Lu, "we were given very clear training and guidance about the Presidential Records Acts and maintaining documents."

Chris Lu