While President, Donald Trump regularly complained that a deep state was undermining his policies and his decisions. He painted a picture of a conspiracy that unelected government officials were seeking to overthrow his Presidency. What is the so-called deep state? What are its historic roots? Doug Becker speaks with the authors of a new book Phantoms of a Beleaguered Republic: Deep State and the Unitary Executive.
Stephen Skowronek is Pelatiah Perit Professor of Political Science at Yale University. He is an expert in America’s national institutions and is the author of The Policy State: An American Predicament.
John A. Dearborn is a Postdoctoral Associate at Yale University. He is the author of a forthcoming book, Power Shifts: Congress and Presidential Representation.
Desmond King is Andrew Mellon Professor of American Government at Oxford University. He is an expert in American government and is the co-author of Still a House Divided: Race and Politics in Obama’s America.
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Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in this discussion reflect the views of the guests and not necessarily the views of The Big Q.
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