The Trump First Term

Few presidencies have strained the constitutional order quite like Donald Trump's first, yet in other respects it simply continued a decades-long drift towards greater executive power. Here, leading scholars of the American presidency weigh both sides of that story, assessing the four years between the 2016 defeat of Hillary Clinton and the 2020 loss to Joe Biden, a term many once assumed would be his only one.

The latest volume in a series that began with the George H. W. Bush years, it moves through electoral politics, public politics, national institutions and policy outcomes before setting Trump within the wider story of American politics. Alongside editors including Julia Azari, contributors include Theda Skocpol, Molly Reynolds, Brandon Rottinghaus and Kelly Dittmar. Students, teachers and anyone wanting a sober, evidence-led account of a turbulent era will find it invaluable.