UNE President’s Forum asks, “Is Trump a Strongman President, and Can Our Democracy Endure?” on Monday, Oct. 6

Does Donald Trump’s presidency represent a lasting break from American democratic tradition? Has the rise of the so-called “strongman presidency” fundamentally altered the balance of power in our government — and if so, what does that mean for the endurance of our democracy?

These questions and more will be explored as the University of New England hosts the next installment of its signature President’s Forum series, “Is Trump a Strongman President, and Can Our Democracy Endure?” on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025.

The event will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Room 283 of the Harold Alfond Forum on UNE’s Biddeford Campus. It is free and open to the public.

Since its inception in 2018, UNE’s President’s Forum has served as a platform for thoughtful discourse, upholding academia’s critical role as the ultimate marketplace of ideas. Hosted by UNE President James Herbert, the forum provides a venue for diverse perspectives on the most pressing issues of our time, allowing these conversations to unfold with civility and respect for differing opinions.

UNE welcomes two esteemed panelists national experts on presidential authority to engage in this discussion:

• William G. Howell, Ph.D., dean, School of Government and Policy, Johns Hopkins University; co-author of “Trajectory of Power: The Rise of the Strongman Presidency” and “Presidents, Populism, and the Crisis of Democracy”
• Andrew Rudalevige, Ph.D., Thomas Brackett Reed Professor of Government, Bowdoin College; author of “By Executive Order: Bureaucratic Management and the Limits of Presidential Power” and “The New Imperial Presidency: Renewing Presidential Power after Watergate”

The panel will be moderated by Jeanne A.K. Hey, Ph.D., UNE dean emerita and CEO of Hey University.

In this robust discussion, Howell will draw from his recent book, “Trajectory of Power,” to explain how the conservative reaction to an expanding and entrenched administrative state laid the groundwork for a strongman like Donald Trump to rise to power and decimate the norms, rules, and institutions that have upheld American democracy for nearly 250 years.  

Rudalevige will counter Howell’s perspective, suggesting alternate visions of the rise of the modern presidency, the administrative state, and the balance of executive and legislative power in contemporary, and future, American democracy. 

“As institutions of higher learning, we bear responsibility for encouraging open, civil conversations about the challenges facing our democracy,” President Herbert remarked. “This forum takes on the vital question of executive power and the health of our democratic institutions. By engaging leading scholars and inviting the public into this dialogue, we aim to shed light on whether recent presidencies mark a permanent shift in American governance and, ultimately, what it means for our shared future.”

The President’s Forum is free and open to all. Attendees are encouraged to join in person; a livestream will also be available at www.une.edu/live.