Maxwell School News and Commentary

"Even though there have been rumors of further resignations on the Republican side of the aisle, in part as a reaction to Donald Trump capturing the nomination, I have a hard time seeing the party voluntarily giving the majority and the speakership to the Democrats," says Grant Reeher, director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute.

“Having a nuclear weapon in space like that permanently would be a clear violation of international norms,” says Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs. “That can create a nuclear space race. I think that’s the bigger threat.” 

Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs, says the war has entered a new phase and predicts an “operational tactical reset” but no major battlefield movements. “I don’t expect to see any dramatic shifts in the activity by the Ukrainian army,” he says, “but the leadership remains strong. I think we’ll see evidence of that very clearly in the months ahead.” 

 “​​Difficult choices will be required in the days and weeks ahead as military operations continue a policy of strong deterrence without seeking widespread escalation that could harm our interests and those of our allies,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs.

“The independents that are part of the polling…don’t like either of them. And then, of course the Democrats in the polls are not going to give Trump any positive ratings, and Republicans are not going to give Biden any positive ratings,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science.

“Some of these polls are really in a way approval ratings of President Biden, which we know are not great,” says Grant Reeher, director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute. “So it’s not so much people saying I’d rather have Donald Trump than Joe Biden, it’s people saying I’m not happy with where the country is going, and I want an alternative.”

"It is clear that, whatever Trump actually believed, he himself did not mean his pronouncements of election fraud to be taken as mere opinion. When Trump made such claims, he invariably portrayed them not only as true but proven conclusively, albeit by evidence he never produced," writes Dana Radcliffe, adjunct professor of public administration and international affairs.

“This kind of division is one we’ve seen for a very long time and so there is nothing new here. This was evident when McCarthy got the position in the first place—on the 15th vote—and that got a lot of attention,” Grant Reeher, professor of political science, tells The Hill.

“This kind of division is one we’ve seen for a very long time and so there is nothing new here. This was evident when McCarthy got the position in the first place—on the 15th vote—and that got a lot of attention,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science.

"In Trump’s case, the problem is that, while some of his actions are consistent with his believing the fraud claims, his behavior generally between the election and Jan. 6 is much more consistent with his knowing those claims were false and continuing to assert them publicly in an attempt to hold on to the presidency," writes Dana Radcliffe, adjunct professor of public administration and international affairs.