“The minimum wage debate has been one of the more controversial issues in Virginia in the last several years,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington. “You see significant public support for increasing the minimum wage, but you also see some resistance in the business community to higher minimum wages.”Democratic lawmakers send Youngkin minimum wage bill — again (Rappahannock News)
Professor of Political Science and Director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies Stephen Farnsworth recently presented a guest online lecture, "The Second Trump Presidency: Policy Implications of His First Weeks Back in Office," to Maria Curie Skłodowska University, in Lublin, Poland. Dr. Farnsworth served as a 2024 Fulbright Distinguished Scholar in Poland.
“The process is a slow one,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. “What you’ve seen so far is the first step.”
“President Trump’s effort to shrink the federal government is going to have an immense impact on the governor’s race in Virginia this year. Not only are we talking about all the people who work for the federal government who wonder whether they’re going to stay employed,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. “You also have all the people who are federal contractors or selling gasoline and food to people working in the federal government.”Slashing the federal workforce would have ‘immense’ impact on Virginia governor’s race (Washington Examiner)
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, recently presented a keynote lecture, “The U.S. Media and Political Systems," to a group of journalists from India who were participating in the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program in Washington. The journalists were participating in a two-week program that focused on learning about the U.S. political system.
In addition, other recent media mentions for Farnsworth include:
Slashing the federal workforce would have ‘immense’ impact on Virginia governor’s race (Washington Examiner)
“President Trump’s effort to shrink the federal government is going to have an immense impact on the governor’s race in Virginia this year. Not only are we talking about all the people who work for the federal government who wonder whether they’re going to stay employed,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. “You also have all the people who are federal contractors or selling gasoline and food to people working in the federal government.”
Halftime in Richmond: Virginia lawmakers clash over taxes, health care, and gun control (Virginia Mercury)
Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington, noted that Virginia, like many states, is heavily reliant on federal funding for its programs. “A lot of state government programs rely, sometimes in large parts, on federal funding. And if Washington turns off the spigot, that’s a very painful environment downstream,” he said.
Late-night TV hosts double down on anti-Trump (The Hill) “One would expect that a wider range of comedic targets would be appealing from a marketing perspective, but there has been an intense focus on Donald Trump since he first went down that escalator in Trump Tower 10 years ago,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington and co-author of “Late Night with Trump: Political Humor and the American Presidency.” https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/5116986-late-night-tv-trump-kimmel-colbert-me/
Trump’s buyout offer sends mixed message to 145,000 federal workers in Virginia (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Steve Farnsworth, director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington, offered two different explanations for the mixed messages that the Trump administration has been sending to federal employees and the public. “One is they really haven’t thought out the plan and they’re just not prepared to do all these things at the same time,” Farnsworth said. “The other option is they don’t really care about thinking out the plan.” https://richmond.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/trump-buyout-tim-kaine-federal-workers/article_73f3f1b8-de5f-11ef-9508-83087676acd2.html
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of Political Science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, has discussed the Trump inauguration and his first week as president in a variety of media outlets. Recent media mentions for Farnsworth include:
Federal DEI workers placed on administrative leave following Trump executive order (WJLA)
“This is going to be a pretty significant impact for a lot of individuals, particularly in the Washington region, where the headquarters are and often where DEI initiatives are concentrated,” explained Steve Farnsworth, PhD, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. Farnsworth expects unions for federal employees to file lawsuits.
President Trump’s Second Inauguration (RTVI Television) “It is clear the president has followed the plan he brought out during the campaign,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington. “Throughout his time as a candidate and as a former president, he often talked about tightening up the border. It’s clear that is one of the key priorities he is working through with the first round of executive orders.”https://www.youtube.com/live/8O3RVfcGcFk?t=510s
The Biden Legacy (El Observador, Portugal) Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington, recalls the three major initiatives that Joe Biden successfully launched at the beginning of his term: “Dealing with the Covid-19 crisis, increasing infrastructure spending and reducing health care costs.”https://observador.pt/especiais/um-parentesis-entre-as-administracoes-trump-ou-um-presidente-com-obra-feita-o-legado-de-joe-biden/
Trump’s first 100 days in office put spotlight on campaign promises, post-election rhetoric (MSN) The first 100 days matter, especially for a new president,” Stephen Farnsworth, political science professor at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia, told UPI. “Even for someone like Donald Trump who’s been president before, it’s an important gauge to see how successful he is at converting campaign promises into policy developments. That 100 days will give us a sense of what those priorities are. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-s-first-100-days-in-office-put-spotlight-on-campaign-promises-post-election-rhetoric/ar-AA1xzWIF
Trump Sworn in as the 47th Potus (WJLA TV DC) “Well, I think it was very clear that Donald Trump wanted to turn the page and he wanted to turn the page back to the key issues he ran on in 2024, 2020, and 2016,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpWtrVV4x3I
Trump’s first 100 days in office put spotlight on campaign promises, post-election rhetoric (UPI; The Kansas City Star) “The first 100 days matter, especially for a new president,” Stephen Farnsworth, political science professor at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia, told UPI. “Even for someone like Donald Trump who’s been president before, it’s an important gauge to see how successful he is at converting campaign promises into policy developments. That 100 days will give us a sense of what those priorities are.” https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2025/01/21/trump-first-100-days-greenland-canada-panama/8041737045260/ https://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/national/article298887215.html
What to expect from Trump’s first 100 days in Power (La Tercera, Chile) University of Mary Washington political science professor Stephen Farnsworth points out: “The Future situation in Ukraine is very uncertain. The reports suggest that Zelensky has been effective in warning Trump of that reducing support for Ukraine would be bad for business Americans, who supply many of the weapons used in Ukraine and resupply NATO allies, who send their own weapons to Ukraine. Zelensky too has said that Trump does not want Ukraine’s problems damage its popularity in the same way as the withdrawal of Afghanistan hurt Biden’s approval ratings.” See attached: trump 100 dias
Trump reveals when tariffs will be imposed on Mexico and Canada as he floats even harsher trade action (Daily Mail) ‘Canada is not going to become part of the United States, but Trump’s comments are more about leveraging what he says to get concessions from Canada by putting Canada off balance, particularly given the precarious current political environment in Canada,’ Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, said at the time. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14306593/Trump-reveals-tariffs-imposed-Mexico-Canada-floats-harsher-trade-action.html
Reviewing Biden’s Farewell Speech (CBC News Canada) It’s important to recognize that America is a 50/50 country and the real challenge any politician has, Democrat or Republican, is convincing people who are not already on your side of much of anything, said Stephen Farnsworth. https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6614546
Spanberger and Earle-Sears neck-and-neck in fundraising battle (Virginia Mercury) “Virginia elections are often close, and the look ahead to next year suggests more of the same in the campaign for governor,” said Stephen J. Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington and director of UMW’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies. “The big challenge for these potential candidates is becoming better known across the commonwealth.” https://virginiamercury.com/2025/01/16/spanberger-and-earle-sears-neck-and-neck-in-fundraising-battle/
“The minimum wage debate has been one of the more controversial issues in Virginia in the last several years,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington. “You see significant public support for increasing the minimum wage, but you also see some resistance in the business community to higher minimum wages.”
Democratic lawmakers send Youngkin minimum wage bill — again (Rappahannock News) 
