Inaugural Number

From the authors of The Politics of the Presidency comes this new supplement examining the unprecedented administration of Donald J. Trump. With their trademark balance between historical context, the current political environment, and contemporary scholarship on the executive branch, Joseph A. Pika, John Anthony Maltese, and Andrew Rudalevige offer students in American politics a brief but thorough overview of the Trump presidency’s first year of office. From the transition to the Russia investigation, Understanding a New Presidency in the Age of Trump grounds the ongoing news cycle in a deeper analysis of the executive branch, encouraging you to draw connections between current events and broader political science concepts. Whether packaged with another CQ Press title or used on its own, Understanding a New Presidency will give you the insight you need.

Every four years, and on the death of presidents, individuals take the oath of office prescribed in the US Constitution. Formal inaugurations are accompanied by pomp that originated in ancient coronation ceremonies in a celebration that thousands of people attend in person and millions follow through electronic media. After describing what such occasions from the inauguration of President George Washington through to that of Joe Biden have in common and how they have changed, this book provides a chronologically arranged summary of each such inaugural ceremony and accompanying events, as well as an analysis of each speech. Although many are largely forgotten, several such orations, including those by Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan, are rhetorical masterpieces. All addresses provide snapshots of American ideals that will interest citizens, historians, and political scientists, and be of service to reference librarians.