Skip to main content

On Studying the Trump Presidency

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Presidential Leadership and the Trump Presidency

Part of the book series: The Evolving American Presidency ((EAP))

  • 551 Accesses

Abstract

This book presents several early appraisals of the presidency of Donald J. Trump by prominent scholars in presidential politics. In the introductory chapter, Lamb and Neiheisel argue that the presidential leadership literature in political science provides one productive means for conducting these appraisals. After surveying several leadership theories, they suggest why Trump’s leadership is inconsistent with theoretical expectations. Finally, they briefly describe the studies in this volume and suggest several reasons why President Trump has received poor grades as a leader from many academics, public officials, political commentators, and citizens alike.

We thank Joshua Boston for his past research assistance.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Indeed, the journal Presidential Studies Quarterly has, for some time, featured within its pages a regular segment on The Contemporary Presidency.

  2. 2.

    The chapters written in this volume by Jeffrey Crouch and Chris Edelson primarily focus on the first eighteen months of the Trump presidency; the other chapters were updated through the first half of the administration.

References

  • Andelic, Patrick. 2018. Unlike Most Former Presidents, Bill Clinton Is Becoming Increasingly Unpopular. Quartz, January 18. https://qz.com/1182889/bill-clintons-declining-legacy-monica-lewinsky-impeachment-metoo-and-trump/

  • Burke, John P. 2009. The Obama Presidential Transition: An Early Assessment. Presidential Studies Quarterly 39 (3): 574–604.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, Colin, and Bert A. Rockman. 1991. The Bush Presidency: First Appraisals. Chatham: Chatham House.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 1996. The Clinton Presidency: First Appraisals. Chatham: Chatham House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, Jeffrey E. 2009. Going Local: Presidential Leadership in the Post-broadcast Age. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, George C., III. 2009. The Strategic President: Persuasion and Opportunity in Presidential Leadership. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Fine, Jeffrey A., and Richard W. Waterman. 2008. A New Model of Presidential Leadership: Controlling for Bureaucracy. In Presidential Leadership: The Vortex of Power, ed. Bert A. Rockman and Richard W. Waterman, 19–43. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Genovese, Michael. 2017. How Trump Governs: An Assessment and a Prognosis. Amherst: Cambria Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghitis, Frida. 2017. Trump’s Relationship with the Truth Is Becoming a National Embarrassment. CNN, March 17. https://www.cnn.com/2017/03/17/opinions/trump-falsehoods-a-national-embarrassment-ghitis/index.html

  • Greenstein, Fred I. 1983. The Reagan Presidency: An Early Assessment. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2003. The George W. Bush Presidency: An Early Assessment. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guild, Blair. 2018. Trump Ranks as Worst President in Poll of Scholars. CBS News, February 20. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-ranks-as-worst-president-in-poll-of-scholars/

  • Hargrove, Erwin C., and Michael Nelson. 1984. Presidents, Politics, and Policy. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hilliard, Bryan, Tom Lansford, and Robert P. Watson. 2004. George W. Bush: Evaluating the President at Midterm. Albany: SUNY Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Iyengar, Shanto. 1991. Is Anyone Responsible? How Television Frames Political Issues. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Jacobson, Gary C. 2007. A Divider, Not a Uniter: George W. Bush and the American People. New York: Pearson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kernell, Samuel. 2007. Going Public: New Strategies of Presidential Leadership. 4th ed. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • King, James D., and James W. Riddlesperger Jr. 1996. Presidential Management and Staffing: An Early Assessment of the Clinton Presidency. Presidential Studies Quarterly 26 (2): 496–510.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kwong, Jessica. 2018. Trump Is the Worst President, Expert Ranking Reveals on Presidents Day. Newsweek, February 19. https://www.newsweek.com/trump-worst-president-expert-ranking-survey-reveals-presidents-day-812042

  • Nelson, Michael. 2018. Trump’s First Year. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neustadt, Richard E. 1990. Presidential Power and Modern Presidents: The Politics of Leadership from Roosevelt to Reagan. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newland, Chester A. 1983. A Mid-Term Appraisal–The Reagan Presidency: Limited Government and Political Administration. Public Administration Review 43 (1): 1–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nice, David C. 1984. The Influence of War and Party System Aging on the Ranking of Presidents. Western Political Quarterly 37 (3): 443–455.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nichols, Curt. 2012. The Presidential Ranking Game: Critical Review and Some New Discoveries. Presidential Studies Quarterly 42 (2): 275–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nussbaum, Matthew. 2018. Trump Comes in Last in Expert Presidential Rankings Survey. Politico, February 19. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/19/presidential-rankings-survey-trump-417103

  • Pfiffner, James. 2003. Ranking the Presidents: Continuity and Volatility. White House Studies 3 (1): 23–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheth, Sonam, and John Haltiwanger. 2019. William Barr Says It Would Be a Crime for Trump to Pardon Someone in Exchange for Their Silence. Business Insider, January 15. https://www.businessinsider.com/william-barr-confirmation-hearing-trump-pardon-2019-1

  • Skowronek, Stephen. 1997. The Politics Presidents Make: Leadership from John Adams to Bill Clinton. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sundquist, James L. 1979. Jimmy Carter as Public Administrator: An Appraisal at Mid-Term. Public Administration Review 39 (1): 3–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, Rick. 2018. Everything Trump Touches Dies: A Republican Strategist Gets Real about the Worst President Ever. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Woodward, Bob. 2018. Fear: Trump in the White House. New York: Simon and Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zaller, John R. 1998. Monica Lewinsky’s Contribution to Political Science. PS: Political Science & Politics 31 (2): 182–189.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Charles M. Lamb .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Lamb, C.M., Neiheisel, J.R. (2020). On Studying the Trump Presidency. In: Lamb, C., Neiheisel, J. (eds) Presidential Leadership and the Trump Presidency. The Evolving American Presidency. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18979-2_1

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics