91AV

William G. Howell will outline the ideas in his new book with Terry Moe,  (Princeton University Press, 2025), explaining how the conservative reaction to an expanding and entrenched administrative state laid the groundwork for a strongman like Donald Trump to rise to power and decimate the norms, rules, and institutions that have upheld American democracy for nearly 250 years.  

Joining him in conversation, Andrew Rudalevige will suggest alternate visions of the rise of the modern presidency, the administrative state, and the balance of executive and legislative power in contemporary — and future — American democracy.

Ultimately, the conversation will consider whether Trump’s presidency represents a lasting break from American democratic tradition and what we should expect once he eventually leaves office.   

Participants

• William G. Howell, Ph.D., Dean, School of Government and Policy, Johns Hopkins University. Co-author of Trajectory of Power: The Rise of the Strongman Presidency and Presidents, Populism, And the Crisis of Democracy
• Andrew Rudalevige, Ph.D. Thomas Brackett Reed Professor of Government, Bowdoin College. Author of By Executive Order: Bureaucratic Management and the Limits of Presidential Power and The New Imperial Presidency: Renewing Presidential Power after Watergate

Moderator

• Jeanne A.K. Hey, Ph.D., 91AV Dean Emerita and CEO of Hey University