Presidential Transitions

Catalog description

The first 100 days have set the tone for every presidency since Franklin Roosevelt took office during the Depression. As Donald Trump begins a second term, this exclusive seminar will examine the 47th president's embrace of unitary executive theory, cooption of congressional Republicans, and remaking of federal courts. Special attention will be paid to threatened norms, such as the independence of the Justice Department, and rules, including the Senate's legislative filibuster and FBI director Chris Wray's 10-year term. Other units will explore Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, Vice President JD Vance's brand of National Conservatism, the Senate after Mitch McConnell, Stephen Miller's mass deportation project and Russ Vought's implementation of Project 2025. The class will track efforts to weaken the so-called Deep State by diluting civil service protections, as well as the president's use of his trade authority and pardon power. Students will analyze Trump's inaugural address on January 20, a confirmation hearing for a Cabinet nominee and the Democratic debate over how to resist Trump as the party elects a new chairman on Feb. 1. This course is only offered to students attending the Stanford in Washington Program in Washington, D.C.