Donald Trump

According to this poll, only 10 percent of Americans don’t believe our democracy is in danger, and slightly over 50 percent think it is “under attack.” The rest of the country felt our system was being “tested.” When asked, instead, about “personal freedom,” a similar pattern emerged. In short, there is widespread concern about the state of democracy and personal freedom—themes that have certainly played out on the campaign trail for Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.   Read More

With the first presidential debate of 2024 quickly approaching, the American public is expressing widespread concern about the state of democracy and our Constitution. There is also consensus among Americans that free speech is fundamental to democratic governance, according to the most recent Vanderbilt Unity Poll measuring Americans' views of unity and beliefs on government and democracy.  Read More

The Choice, produced by the Dialogue Vanderbilt, is a four-part podcast focused on the key moments and ramifications of the 2024 presidential election between former president Donald J. Trump and current President Joseph R. Biden. Vanderbilt’s Jon Meacham and John Geer will blend history and political science to offer insights and context about this rematch of the 2020 presidential contest. Read More

Americans saw an uptick in unity for the first time in over a year, with widespread agreement that the U.S. political system needs to be more responsive and an overall distrust of social media influencers, according to the most recent Vanderbilt Unity Poll measuring Americans' views of national unity and the democratic process. Read More

The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy’s latest Vanderbilt Unity Index shows the country continuing its trend toward more polarization, ending 2023 down nearly three points from the start of the year. Read More

Americans overwhelmingly feel that their political systems do not represent them, including compromise on abortion, and they are not confident the American political system accurately reflects their will, according to the latest quarterly Vanderbilt Unity Poll measuring Americans’ unity and beliefs on government and democracy. Read More

In a sign that malaise over rising inflation and stressors related to pandemic recovery could be influencing Tennesseans’ attitudes toward elected leaders, support for President Joe Biden and Gov. Bill Lee has dropped among registered voters, according to the most recent statewide Vanderbilt Poll. Read More

First Amendment Center President Ken Paulson will discuss with veteran journalist Marvin Kalb the impact of President Trump’s attacks on the press during the final event of the Seigenthaler Series. Read More

President Donald Trump has nominated Jon Parrish Peede, BS’91, to serve as the 11th chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Read More

On Feb. 6, Pulitzer Prize winner Jon Meacham, a No. 1 New York Times best-selling presidential biographer and visiting Vanderbilt distinguished professor of political science, sat down with Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos to discuss Donald Trump’s first year in office. Read More

Former GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina discussed her views on leadership and issues of the day Feb. 20 as part of the Chancellor's Lecture Series. Read More

News media leaders will convene on campus Sept. 30 for a panel discussion open to the Vanderbilt community. Read More

Titled “The Presidency and the Rule of Law,” the conversation among Sally Yates, Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos and Jon Meacham kicked off the Vanderbilt Chancellor’s Lecture Series for 2017-18. Read More

Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos will host a discussion on Tuesday, Sept. 26, featuring Former Acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates and Vanderbilt Distinguished Visiting Professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham. The panel will discuss “The Presidency and the Rule of Law” beginning at 6:30 p.m. in Langford Auditorium. Read More

President Trump was not elected by white working-class voters, say two researchers who consulted data from the American National Election Studies. Read More

In response to President Trump’s May 23 full budget proposal, Vanderbilt University released the following statement from Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos. Read More

Faculty experts from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of education and human development share their perspectives on education policy as the 100th day of the Trump Administration draws near.  … Read More

Vanderbilt law professor Timothy Meyer has a unique perspective on Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. Read More

Special guest lecture by Albert Bender, attorney of Indian law and Standing Rock activist in North Dakota. Albert Bender stood on the front lines of the #NoDAPL protest at its very beginnings and has lent his expertise to a variety of news outlets on this important issue. He will give… Read More

Eight years after Barack Obama’s historic election as the nation’s first African American president, are race relations better or worse in the United States? Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos convened a panel of political experts Tuesday evening to discuss that question, as well as President-elect Donald Trump’s extraordinary ascent to the presidency. Read More