Experts in the News

Topic
Globe

President Trump's speech, with 'carnage' and 'tombstones,' carried an unusual darkness

During the course of the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump was a wrecking ball. He not only toppled a long line of experienced challengers for the White House, he knocked down columns of time-tested political norms that had been erected throughout the country’s history to channel political discourse and to sustain the health of Washington’s governing institutions.
Russell Riley
CNN

The Oath: 35 words, four views

Whether you know them by heart or have never heard them at all, the 35 words that Donald Trump will speak to become our president will, in some way, impact your next four years. On the occasion of CNN's mini-documentary, "The Oath," CNN Opinion asked scholars and writers to weigh in on how history and happenstance have shaped the president's oath of office.
Nicole Hemmer
UVA Today

UVA historians recall six unusual inaugurations

From George Washington’s presidential fashion concerns to piles of dead pigeons along Richard Nixon’s parade route, American inaugurations have undergone a strange and fascinating evolution. In honor of Trump's inauguration, Miller Center historians Barbara Perry and Brian Balogh joined UVA Today to discuss these modern remembrances and share their own takes on some of the most unusual moments in inaugural history.
Barbara Perry & Brian Balogh
The Obama Years

The Obama Years: A Nine-Part Oral History

No matter one’s political persuasion, most everyone would agree that Barack Obama’s eight years in The White House had a profound impact on the world. The president and 24 other members of his administration weigh in on their proudest moments, their regrets and the belief that they left it all on the field.
Melody Barnes