Department of Education
Published September 29, 2020
Authors Frank J. Thompson, Kenneth K. Wong, Barry G. Rabe
Publisher Brookings Institution Press
Publisher's Website

Trump, the Administrative Presidency, and Federalism

Publications

The presidency of Donald Trump has been unique in many respects. His abrasive personal style, disregard for conventional norms of civil society, and disrespect for factual information are familiar to everyone.

Less familiar are the ways in which Trump has attempted to reverse the policies of his predecessor and advance positions that lack widespread support in Congress.

Trump has been particularly aggressive in the use of executive power, or the “administrative presidency,” to pursue his goals, including executive orders and regulatory changes.

This book analyzes the dynamics and unique qualities of Trump’s administrative presidency in healthcare, climate change, and education. In each of these policy spheres, the Trump administration pursued hostile takeovers in which White House policy goals were advanced through administrative action rather than legislation.

The authors show how Trump took unprecedented steps to undermine and otherwise reshape domestic policy programs through executive action. But the book also emphasizes how the forces of federalism, especially state attorneys general, governors, and legislatures, have often undercut Trump’s executive initiatives and reduced their impact on who gets what from government in the healthcare, climate, and education arenas.

Faculty

  • Portrait

    Kenneth K. Wong

    Walter and Leonore Annenberg Professor of Education Policy, Professor of Political Science, Professor of International and Public Affairs, Professor of Urban Studies

    Kenneth Wong is the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Chair for Education Policy and director of the Urban Education Policy A.M. program at Brown University. He is also a Professor of Political Science and Professor of International and Public Affairs. He has conducted extensive research in the politics of education, federalism, policy innovation, outcome-based accountability, and governance redesign (including city and state takeover, management reform, and Title I school-wide reform).