Andrew Rudalevige

@rudalev.bsky.social

6.5K followers 470 following 530 posts

Bowdoin College professor of political science; affiliated with UCL's Centre on US Politics and UVa's Miller Center. Feed includes posts on presidential power, bureaucratic politics, and carping about Boston sports and European football .. more

Videos

Political science 77%

Economics 9%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Tobias Bunde, Brendan Nyhan , and 8 more Joanna Bryson, Tobias Bunde, Brendan Nyhan, Tim Bale, Michael Kevane, Stefan M. Herzog, Sarah Roberts, Greg Linden, Andrew Rudalevige, Daxton R. Stewart, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Walter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social · 6h

Five years ago.

Front pages of American newspapers after Jan. 6, 2021, with headlines like "Capitol Chaos," "Assault on Democracy," "Pro-Trump mob storms Capitol."

Reposted by David R. Miller, Andrew Rudalevige, Manisha Sinha

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 2d

Name Brand vs Dollar Store Knockoff

pic of Obama White House Situation room during Bin Ladin raid.
Pic of Mar A Lago, trump and others, during Maduro raid

Reposted by Matthew Bunn, Ralf Michaels, Robert Black , and 4 more Matthew Bunn, Ralf Michaels, Robert Black, Robert C. Richards, Robert Wolfe, Peter Stegmaier, Andrew Rudalevige

Jack Goldsmith @jacklgoldsmith.bsky.social · 2d

My quick take on the legality of the Venezuela invasion.

open.substack.com/pub/executiv...

On the Legality of the Venezuela Invasion

Executive branch precedents can be garnered to support the action—which does not, of course, mean that it is lawful.

open.substack.com

Andrew Rudalevige @rudalev.bsky.social · 2d

Right - I think Harold Koh at State and the WH came up with that one…

Andrew Rudalevige @rudalev.bsky.social · 2d

Gen. Caine should resign solely to regain self-respect after being referred to as “Raisin’” on live TV.

Andrew Rudalevige @rudalev.bsky.social · 2d

Hegseth back to the (mythical) “oil that was stolen from us…”.

Reposted by Andrew Rudalevige

Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 2d

Massie pointing out the large difference between what Trump administration officials are saying and what Trump is saying:

Andrew Rudalevige @rudalev.bsky.social · 2d

At this point OLC has defined any war short of Vietnam as something that presidents can just do on their own. Though given that DJT just defined this attack as the biggest since WW II perhaps we’ve pushed past that!

Andrew Rudalevige @rudalev.bsky.social · 2d

What is this digression into (lies about) Washington DC??

Reposted by Andrew Rudalevige

Heidi Kitrosser @heidikitrosser.bsky.social · 2d

I believe a wise man once said that war is the “nurse of executive aggrandizement,” hence the sharing of the power w Congress. But what did James Madison know?

Andrew Rudalevige @rudalev.bsky.social · 2d

Trump: “We are going to run the country.” Another job for Marco Rubio…

Reposted by Nandita Sharma, Will Jennings, Juan Cole , and 5 more Nandita Sharma, Will Jennings, Juan Cole, David R. Miller, Umut Özkırımlı, Andrew Rudalevige, Stella M. Rouse, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Julia Azari @juliaazari.bsky.social · 2d

decided to go smell the rotten milk in the back of the Washington Post fridge... I don't even know what to say about this

Reposted by Will Jennings, Tom Clark, Steve Peers , and 6 more Will Jennings, Tom Clark, Steve Peers, David R. Miller, Andrew Rudalevige, Steven S. Taylor, Manisha Sinha, Nathan P. Kalmoe, David Darmofal

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

Trump posts footage of the Maduro raid set to "Fortunate Son" -- a protest song about the Vietnam War draft

Reposted by David R. Miller

Andrew Rudalevige @rudalev.bsky.social · 2d

The usual syllogism:
1. Great presidents (Lincoln) pushed past legal bounds
2. My president pushed past legal bounds
3. My president is great!

Andrew Rudalevige @rudalev.bsky.social · 2d

A guide from @goodauth.bsky.social on war powers: in short, presidential evasions of constraint and congressional evasions of Article I authority.

goodauthority.org/news/good-to...

US war powers explainer

Everything you need to know about how much power the president and Congress have to go to war and conduct military actions.

goodauthority.org

Reposted by Andrew Rudalevige

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 2d

🧵with some preliminary thoughts on what this means for US national security, with a side of IR theory.

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 2d

Some thoughts on what Trump has done in Venezuela and what it might mean for US national security. Caveat: not a Latin America scholar so this is focused on US policy. Clearly huge consequences for Venezuela that others can address.

First, despite the buildup, I didn't think Trump would do it.

1/

Reposted by Will Jennings, Rosemary A. Joyce, David R. Miller , and 5 more Will Jennings, Rosemary A. Joyce, David R. Miller, Dana R. Fisher, Noah L. Nathan, Andrew Rudalevige, Julie Novkov, David Darmofal

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 2d

Whatever happens now, we absolutely cannot allow Trump's refusal to seek Congressional authorization for what appears to be a large scale military attack on another country vanish from the media discussion, which already appears to be happening.

Reposted by Andrew Rudalevige, Simon Lester

BeijingPalmer @beijingpalmer.bsky.social · 3d

I can't believe the winner of the FIFA Peace Prize would do this.

Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders, Jacob T. Levy, Andrew Rudalevige , and 1 more Elizabeth Saunders, Jacob T. Levy, Andrew Rudalevige, Steven S. Taylor

Daniel Drezner @dandrezner.bsky.social · 3d

This this this this THIS!

Andrew Rudalevige @rudalev.bsky.social · 3d

This lede makes no sense: "Congress learned some hard lessons about the limits of its power during the first year of the second Trump administration..." They did not in fact learn any lessons about how powers they entirely declined to exercise might have worked.

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/u...

A Diminished Congress Weighs Whether to Reassert Its Power

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Will Jennings, Scott L. Greer, Martín Lodge , and 6 more Will Jennings, Scott L. Greer, Martín Lodge, Daniel W. Drezner, David R. Miller, Jacob T. Levy, James Goodwin, Steven S. Taylor, Stuart Shapiro

Andrew Rudalevige @rudalev.bsky.social · 3d

A Diminished Congress Weighs Whether to Reassert Its Power

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by David R. Miller, Andrew Rudalevige

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 3d

Wow, the quotes in this piece: ”Our memories may indeed keep us free today. It is for unborn generations who will never know firsthand how close a democracy came to oligarchy.” From a Republican senator from Connecticut (!) about post-Watergate reforms.

Andrew Rudalevige @rudalev.bsky.social · 3d

A nice take on Trump revisiting (and expanding) the Nixon playbook -- and even given its length, doesn't have space to get to impoundment, and war powers, and...

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/u...

After Watergate, the Presidency Was Tamed. Trump Is Unleashing It.

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders, David R. Miller

Andrew Rudalevige @rudalev.bsky.social · 3d

A nice take on Trump revisiting (and expanding) the Nixon playbook -- and even given its length, doesn't have space to get to impoundment, and war powers, and...

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/u...

After Watergate, the Presidency Was Tamed. Trump Is Unleashing It.

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Eric Goldman, Kate Starbird, Greg Linden , and 2 more Eric Goldman, Kate Starbird, Greg Linden, Andrew Rudalevige, David Darmofal

James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 5d

On Jack Smith deposition, now released:

100% obvious why GOP refused to allow this as open testimony, aired live. It's damning.

Testimony from John Dean or Alex ("wiretaps") Butterfield in Watergate days would have 1/10th the impact if just in print.

What Smith says is far more incriminating.

Excerpt from Jack Smith deposition:

For nearly three decades I have been a career prosecutor. I have served during both Republican and Democratic administrations and I've been guided by those principles in every role I've held. I continued to honor those principles when I was appointed to serve as special counsel in November of 2022.

The decision to bring charges against President Trump was mine, but the basis for those charges rests entirely with President Trump and his actions, as alleged in the indictments returned by grand juries in two different districts.

Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election and to prevent the lawful transfer of power.

Our investigation also developed powerful evidence that showed that President Trump willfully retained highly classified documents after he left office in January of 2021, storing them at his social club, including in a ballroom and a bathroom. He then repeatedly tried to obstruct justice to conceal his continued retention of those documents.

I remain grateful for the counsel, judgment, and advice of my team as I executed my responsibilities. I am both saddened and angered that President Trump has sought revenge against career prosecutors, FBI agents, and support staff simply for doing their jobs and for having worked on those cases.

Andrew Rudalevige @rudalev.bsky.social · 5d

Indeed! glad to see you!

Andrew Rudalevige @rudalev.bsky.social · 5d

Is "two months" the new "two weeks"?

Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders, John Sides, Andrew Rudalevige

Good Authority @goodauth.bsky.social · 5d

"And with that, the 2025 season comes to an end..."

Here are Good Authority's top 10 articles of the year.

goodauthority.org/news/good-au...

A super thread 🧵

Good Authority’s top 10 posts of 2025

Thermostatic politics, democracy under attack, Venezuela, South Africa, and more – the analysis Good Authority readers counted on in 2025.

goodauthority.org

Reposted by Matthew Bunn, Will Jennings, Steve Peers , and 10 more Matthew Bunn, Will Jennings, Steve Peers, Rosemary A. Joyce, Leigh Sparks, Markus Jäntti, Göran Bolin, Aaron Sojourner, Jacob T. Levy, Greg Linden, Andrew Rudalevige, Tim Stephens, Colin Talbot

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 9d

Denmark lost more troops per capita in the post 9/11 war on Afghanistan. Saying they “are not a good ally” because they won’t surrender their territories to the US is lunacy. We are betraying our allies to satisfy the whims of a would-be Emperor for whom the US is not enough.

Olga Nesterova @onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 9d

They’re again advocating against Denmark when it comes to Greenland

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Trevon D. Logan, Lindsay M. Tedds , and 2 more Anna O. Law, Trevon D. Logan, Lindsay M. Tedds, Alan Richardson, Andrew Rudalevige

Stephen Harrison @stephenharrison.com · 12d

Does anyone else bristle at this framing? WSJ says blue books are “torturing” students with hand cramps, and “nobody likes them.”

Listen, students have been outsourcing everything to AI and cheating their way through college. Blue books should be celebrated as a return to authentic human learning.

They Were Every Student’s Worst Nightmare. Now Blue Books Are Back.

Cheating with ChatGPT has become a huge problem for colleges. The solution is painfully old-school.

www.wsj.com

Reposted by Tom Clark, Eric Goldman, Alan Richardson , and 9 more Tom Clark, Eric Goldman, Alan Richardson, Stephen Ryan, Peter Jacobsen, Mark Rice, Andrew Rudalevige, Richard M. Carpiano, Simon Lester, Joanna L. Grossman, Nicole Guenther Discenza, David Darmofal

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 13d

Sean Duffy on blue states: "What I can do is I can pull their money. That's the leverage I do have ... I guarantee you that the federal taxpayer is not going to fund their roads and bridges and their systems when they are putting illegals on the roads."

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Daniel W. Drezner, Alan Richardson , and 1 more Richard S.J. Tol, Daniel W. Drezner, Alan Richardson, Andrew Rudalevige

Max Boot @maxboot.bsky.social · 14d

Trump’s new envoy admits his goal is to steal territory from a NATO ally.

Add to Home Screen

Light up
your news

Add to Home Screen

Light upyour news

Sign in to Lightnews

Sign up to start reading

Connect Bluesky

Connect with Bluesky

Light up
your news