Trump Watch Sussex

What is it like studying for a year in the US during the Trump presidency? Dr. Melissa Milewski of the University of Sussex talks with four University of Sussex students who recently returned from a year-long study abroad in America about race, education, and people's attitudes in Trump's America. The students share what they experienced on university campuses in America and the insights they gained during their study abroad.

How do scholars of corruption view Trump and his administration? In this episode, Professor Dan Hough, an expert on corruption based at the University of Sussex, talks to Dr. Melissa Milewski about what exactly corruption is, how Donald Trump fits into definitions of corruption, and how corruption in government can be combatted. The episode also discusses the way that Trump's administration has led scholars of corruption to rethink traditional understandings of corruption.

What was the significance of the US midterm elections and how will these elections affect US politics going forward? In this episode, a panel of scholars from the University of Sussex including Professor Steve Burman, Professor Paul Taggart, Dr. Anne-Marie Angelo and Dr. Melissa Milewski discuss the midterm elections, including analysing Republican and Democrat strategies, considering the role of gender and race in the elections, and discussing how Trump shaped the elections. The episode also discusses how the elections will shape the US Congress's actions over the next two years as well as the US presidential election in 2020.

How have lawyers challenged Trump's legal ban and how do they continue to contest his immigration policies in US courts? In this episode, Dr. Anne-Marie Angelo of the University of Sussex talks to Emily Newhouse Dillingham, an attorney at the law firm of Arnold & Porter who has played a key role in this litigation. Dillingham was present on the ground at Chicago O'Hare airport in 2017 when the Muslim Ban was rolled out and played a part in representing those affected by the ban and in later litigation around Trump's immigration policies. The episode discusses the litigation strategies and experiences of lawyers in challenging this ban as well as the ongoing legal efforts to fight for immigrant rights.

How has Donald Trump capitalized on the politics of the border during his election and presidency? In this podcast, Melissa Milewski and Sam Solomon, lecturers at the University of Sussex, interview the founders of the Southwest Political Report, Dr. Irene Sanchez and Matt Sedillo, to discuss Trump and the Southwest. They discuss why Trump focused on immigration and the border during the 2016 election and how Trump's use of the Southwest fits into how local and national politicians have used it in the past. Sanchez and Sedillo also discuss the history and context behind Trump's Southwest policies, including the recently ended policy of separating families at the border.

Donald Trump's interactions with foreign leaders are often seen as unique -- but how different are they from past US presidents' foreign dealings? In this episode, Dr. Doug Haynes talks with Professors Clive Webb and Steve Burman of the University of Sussex to put Trump's foreign policy into historical perspective and discuss how Trump's actions are shifting global alliances. The podcast also discusses how Trump's foreign policies are affecting the UK and the considerations British political leaders must consider in interacting with Trump.

Donald Trump is the second American president to come from the world of celebrity and entertainment, with Ronald Reagan being the first. In this podcast, Dr. Melissa Milewski interviews Daniel Geary, an associate professor at Trinity College Dublin, to discuss how Reagan and Trump's different celebrity backgrounds influenced their elections and their actions as presidents. Geary argues that just as Reagan's career in Hollywood films impacted his presidency, Trump's previous experiences with both tabloid journalism and reality television have had significant effects on his presidency.

During his first year in office, Trump has consistently worked to undo his predecessor's actions. In this podcast, Dr. Doug Haynes talks to two political scientists who are researching political legacies, Clodagh Harrington of De Montfort University and Alex Waddan of the University of Leicester. They discuss how this process of "De-Obamification" is guiding Trump's actions, how successful he has been in undoing Obama's legacies, and evaluate Trump's presidency thus far.

The recent violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, exposed the deep divisions in American society over confederate monuments. In this podcast, Dr. Melissa Milewski discusses with Professors Robert Cook and Clive Webb of the University of Sussex why confederate monuments were built, what they symbolize, how African Americans protested confederate memorials in the 19th and early 20th century, the rise of white supremacist movements in the US today, and how Trump has used the contested history behind confederate monuments for his own ends.

No White House has ever looked like this, with oil giants, generals and party donors rubbing shoulders in the cabinet. In this podcast, Doug Haynes talks to Dan Kryder, Professor of American Politics and Law, Brandeis University, MA, USA, and Fulbright Scholar at the Eccles Centre at the British Library, about the various camps within the administration as they vie for power, and about the changing face of politics.