Profs & Pints DC: Trump’s Second Term—An Early Assessment

Profs and Pints DC presents: “Trump’s Second Term—An Early Assessment,” with Matthew Green, professor of politics at The Catholic University of America and scholar of Congress, federalism, and political parties.

[Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/trump2-100-days .]

With the last day of April marking the end of President Trump’s first 100 days in office, it’s time to plan on a thorough and sobering assessment of this first stage of his presidency and where his leadership is taking the nation.
Coming to the Hill Center on Capitol Hill to deliver just that is Matthew Green, a keen observer of American politics who has delivered several excellent Profs and Pints talks on Congress and elections.

He’ll discuss how Trump has forged an unusual path for a newly elected president, by acting unilaterally on a host of issues and pushing hard against many legal and constitutional boundaries. He’s done so, moreover, even though he almost certainly could have made substantial headway simply by taking a more traditional path to dealing with the other branches of government, given how Republicans had gained unified control of Congress and conservative justices now dominate the Supreme Court.

Professor Green will look at why Trump has chosen to exercise his authority so assertively and the ways in which Trump has taken advantage of powers delegated to the White House over many decades. He’ll discuss how Trump’s presidency compares to others in recent history and how successful it has been in changing American government and public policy so far.

Drawing upon his expertise on Congress, Professor Green will discuss the evolving relationship between Trump and congressional Republicans. In particular, he’ll examine how much White House policies that threaten GOP states and districts—such as higher tariffs and broad cuts in government spending and the federal workforce—will inspire greater Republican dissent and pushback against Trump.

Among the questions the talk will try to answer: How much will President Trump continue to violate our political system’s rules and norms? Will such violations become the new norm of American politics? Will anything cause him to lose his support among GOP voters? (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.)

Image: From President Donald Trump’s official 2025 inaugural portrait.