Stewart Ulrich

Whoa this is big news. Many presidential scholars, including myself, have used Gallup in research for its accuracy and longevity (since FDR!) This changes things going forward
#Polisky

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/u...

Assistant Professor of Political Science (American Politics—Judicial Politics, Public Law, American Constitutional Law) The Department of Political Science at Sam Houston State University is seeking a full-time, tenure-track faculty member at the rank of Assistant Professor beginning August 2026.The successful candidat...

shsu.peopleadmin.com/postings/45764
My department is hiring a TT assistant professor with speciality in Judicial Politics/Public Law. Review date is Jan 31st. Come work with me!
#polisky #poliscisky #academicsky #politicalsciencejobs

Trump Takes America’s ‘Imperial Presidency’ to a New Level

Good analysis of presidential power www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/u...

Pardons are political, with modern presidents expanding their use Trump and Biden have issued pardons at a faster clip than their predecessors. Many of their decisions appear to have been political or personal in nature.

theconversation.com/pardons-are-... We’ve seen the pardon power be used differently than what the Founders intended by recent presidents. I wrote about it for @theconversation.com here:
#Polisky

Great visual by @wsj.com showing Trump’s pardons this year. He has wielded this power more frequently than most presidents at this stage in a term: www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Trump criticises Henry Cuellar over not switching parties after pardon Texas Representative Henry Cuellar is running for re-election as a Democrat after Trump pardoned him.

www.bbc.com/news/article... Interesting response from the president to a pardon, shows how he views them as transactional and should get something in return.

Analysis: Have all presidents pardoned people more in line with their politics? It’s complicated, say two historians. But the focus has often been on what is best for the nation as a whole.

www.deseret.com/politics/202... Pleased to have been asked to comment for this article. Very interesting times with the pardon power recently.

Trump pardons major drug traffickers despite his anti-drug rhetoric The president has granted clemency to about 100 people accused of drug-related crimes during his two terms in office, a Post analysis shows.

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202... Good analysis by the Washington Post, which points out how Trump’s pardoning patterns seem to follow no philosophy or pattern and directly contradict his administration’s policies.

Gianni Infantino’s Trump problem Can FIFA's president keep winning over Donald Trump without losing the world?

www.politico.com/news/2025/12... FIFA’s president has actively courted Pres. Trump, being the world leader the US president has met with the most during this second term

The Fifa-Trump bromance

open.spotify.com/episode/0Kyn... As does this BBC podcast

Trump’s World Cup draws closer

open.spotify.com/episode/6imh... Politico’s podcast covers this relationship well

How a Man Convicted of Running a Latin American Narco State Landed a Pardon Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández’s unusual network of Trump allies and MAGA influencers helped deliver an extraordinary pardon to him.

www.wsj.com/politics/pol... Fascinating story on how the pardon came to be

FIFA does not seem to concern themselves with the reputation of the host government, more focused on revenue & expanding the tournament. See Qatar 2022 and Saudi Arabia 2034

Trump will play a starring role heading into a big weekend at the Kennedy Center The Kennedy Center, known for theater and opera, becomes the sports world's focus on Friday. The World Cup matchups and locations for next year are announced there.

Pres. Trump has inserted himself into the World Cup at a level not seen before. He will have a central role in the final draw on Friday, having had a hand in shifting the venue to the Kennedy Center. And is expected to receive the new FIFA Peace Prize apnews.com/article/kenn...

Of course, need to note that this World Cup was awarded in 2018, during Trump’s 1st term. Few were expecting him to be in office in 2026, as he either would have already finished a second term or not won again. This unexpected dynamic has added a new layer of uncertainty to the tournament.

Mexican President Sheinbaum to attend World Cup draw in Washington Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has confirmed she will attend the draw for the 2026 World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

The final draw creates an opportunity for the leaders of Canada & Mexico, co-hosts with the US, to attend and meet with Pres. Trump. This will be the 1st face-to-face meeting between Trump & Sheinbaum. Have been tensions between the US and those neighboring nations apnews.com/article/worl...

Iran boycotts FIFA World Cup draw in Washington over visa spat with Trump Officials in Tehran are urging football chief Gianni Infantino to step in.

International events like the World Cup and the Olympics always take place against the geopolitical backdrop of the day. For example, Iran has qualified for the event but is currently at odds with the current US administration. Iran is boycotting the draw as a result: www.politico.eu/article/iran...

Why FIFA’s 2026 World Cup draw is at the heart of a Kennedy Center controversy How much FIFA has paid to host the 2026 World Cup draw at the Washington, D.C. performing arts venue is under scrutiny

www.nytimes.com/athletic/683... Interesting to see how the World Cup has been intertwined with the Trump administration and politics of Washington currently.

Trump's Approval Rating Drops to 36%, New Second-Term Low President Donald Trump's job approval rating has slipped to a new second-term low point and is approaching his all-time low of 34%.

news.gallup.com/poll/699221/... Interesting to see a new poll of Pres. Trump’s approval rating and a new low for this term.

Had fun wrapping up in my presidency class and mapping out what we’ve learned this semester. Excited to see how their final projects turn out.

Interesting use of the pardon power and what it communicates: the administration is taking action against drug traffickers in the Caribbean while also pardoning a convicted drug trafficking from the same region. Seems contradictory and shows pardon power is solely up to the president.

Trump Gives Clemency to More Than Two Dozen, Including Political Allies

We continue to see the clemency power used for political purposes: Trump Gives Clemency to More Than Two Dozen, Including Political Allies www.nytimes.com/2025/05/28/u...

Modern presidents have shifted the pardon power from an act of mercy to a political tool writes @stewulrich.bsky.social of Sam Houston State University

blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/20...

American Owners Got Chewed Up by English Soccer. Now They Can’t Stop Winning. Once seen as clueless across the Atlantic, U.S. soccer investors are about to claim championships in each of England’s top three leagues.

www.wsj.com/sports/socce... Fascinating read

Trump’s Approval Rating Has Been Falling Steadily, Polling Average Shows (Gift Article) President Trump’s approval rating has sunk to about 45 percent, down from 52 percent one week after he took office.

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/u...

Trump approval falls to 43%, lowest since returning to office, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds President Donald Trump's approval rating fell to 43%, the lowest since his return to office, as Americans soured on his tariff moves and his administration's handling of information about a military strike in Yemen, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

www.reuters.com/default/trum...

Leaving campus after submitting the final version of my dissertation feels both weird and exciting. Wild to be at this stage!

Leaving Chicago after a great time at #MPSA2025. Thanks for all I met and interacted with. Fun time mingling with a bunch of amazing scholars.

Now there's an idea! It was nice to meet you this week.

President Trump pardons former Hunter Biden business partner Devon Archer President Donald Trump pardoned a former business partner of Hunter Biden who was convicted of participating in a conspiracy to defraud a Native American tribe.

apnews.com/article/hunt... We continue to see pardons used as a political tool and not the act of mercy the founders intended.