Regime Theory and American Politics for the Next Generation

Thirty years ago, Stephen Skowronek, a political scientist at Yale, published a book titled The Politics Presidents Make. It was generally recognized as one of the most important books on the presidency since Richard Neustadt’s book, Presidential Power. In his book, Skowronek argued that every 40 years or so, a “reconstructive” president comes along and establishes a new presidential “regime.” Former President Trump might well be regarded as a "reconstructive president,” or one that completely transformed American politics for at least a generation.  Trump has a unique ability to question the central precepts of the last half century. That’s what reconstructive presidents do.

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