Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington, told the Mercury, “This is not a normal opening act for a legislative session. Spanberger is setting the stage for an aggressive year one.”
But trying to keep Trump satisfied risks emboldening the U.S. president to be still bolder in future. “Politicians around the world and in this country ignore Trump’s ego at their peril,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at Virginia’s University of Mary Washington.
Stephen Farnsworth—an expert in U.S. politics and the presidency—says Trump was hoping for a more favorable experience at the World Economic Forum. Stephen Farnsworth offered further context for the president’s anger, saying the Trump administration is going through a difficult period, with polling suggesting challenges ahead of the November midterm elections, and widespread controversy over the behavior of federal officials in Minnesota enforcing the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation policy.
“Well, I think one of the big questions is what are the red lines with Donald Trump? What are the things the president will not do?” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington and the author of the book “Presidential Communication and Character.”
“President Trump always starts negotiations from a very extreme position. What you see here is a very, very aggressive effort to maximize what the US can get out of this impasse,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington.
“I think one of the things that we’ll be seeing in this session is disagreements within the party rather than disagreements across party lines,” explains Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington.
