There is no precedent for a political outsider such as Donald Trump being elected US president. He is not only a Washington outsider without experience in government at any level, but also a former registered Democrat and therefore a Republican Party newcomer.

Having the presidency and congress controlled by the same party would usually suggest smoother governance, but there is no guarantee of this occurring during Trump’s presidency. Relations between Trump and the Republican Party were famously poor throughout the campaign and significant political differences remain. Moreover, since the election, President-elect Trump has begun to walk back on a number of his commitments, such as to repeal Obamacare. Such backflips will do nothing to win the love of congressional Republicans.

This more conciliatory Trump, evident also in his magnanimous victory speech, begs the question: which of these Trumps will turn up to the White House on 20 January 2017?

Dr John Hart, an expert on the US presidency, discussed the new Republican-dominated era of US politics with Steven Warwick of the AIIA’s National Office. This was prior to his address to the AIIA’s ACT Branch on November 14 entitled: ‘Making Sense of the US Election’.

Dr John Hart is an author and the former head of the Department of Political Science at the Australian National University. John is a specialist on the US presidency and is best known for his work on the operation of the presidential staff system.

Interviewed by Steven Warwick

Filmed by Brendan Martin