April 2, 2025

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Farnsworth Lectures on the Second Trump Presidency

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Professor of Political Science and Director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies Stephen Farnsworth

Professor of Political Science and Director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies Stephen Farnsworth

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.

In addition, other recent media mentions for Farnsworth include:

How Trump’s DOGE Cuts Could Backfire on GOP in Virginia Governor Race (Newsweek)
The cuts will be a problem for Republicans, as angry voters are “particularly likely to turn out,” Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and international affairs and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington, told Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/virginia-governor-race-donald-trump-doge-cuts-2035472

‘First step’ complete for Va. abortion rights advocates as amendment passes in General Assembly (WTOP)
“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.” https://wtop.com/virginia/2025/02/first-step-complete-for-va-abortion-rights-advocates-as-amendment-passes-in-general-assembly/

Farnsworth Lectures on U.S. Politics to Journalists from India

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Professor of Political Science and Director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies Stephen Farnsworth

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; The Denver Gazette; Colorado Politics)
“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.”
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/3316529/slashing-federal-workforce-immense-impact-virginia-governors-race/
https://gazette.com/news/wex/slashing-the-federal-workforce-would-have-immense-impact-on-virginia-governor-s-race/article_45ab6135-7c65-5098-a6fc-9c182ce47fbe.html
https://www.coloradopolitics.com/slashing-the-federal-workforce-would-have-immense-impact-on-virginia-governor-s-race/article_3c3cf680-a69d-5970-a04c-e300ce011da7.html#google_vignette
Halftime in Richmond: Virginia lawmakers clash over taxes, health care, and gun control (Yahoo.com; 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.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/halftime-richmond-virginia-lawmakers-clash-102525195.html?guccounter=1
https://virginiamercury.com/2025/02/03/halftime-in-richmond-virginia-lawmakers-clash-over-taxes-health-care-and-gun-control/
https://www.insidenova.com/headlines/halftime-in-richmond-virginia-lawmakers-clash-over-taxes-health-care-and-gun-control/article_6d805d2e-46e8-52b4-b29a-67c0d6356230.html
https://www.nvdaily.com/halftime-in-richmond-lawmakers-clash-over-taxes-health-care-and-gun-control/article_9af1a032-9ddb-5622-a17c-df3302f752ad.html

Round-Up of Early Trump 2.0 (BFM 89.9 in Malaysia)
“The Donald Trump message over and over again makes the argument that America was better off in the past. Now, depending on who you are, that may or may not be true,” said Donald Trump. https://www.bfm.my/content/podcast/round-up-of-early-trump

Late-night TV hosts double down on anti-Trump (The Hill; MSN.com)
“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/
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/late-night-tv-hosts-double-down-on-anti-trump/ar-AA1yaTXO

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