Rethinking the rules of political representation | Taming polarization: Reforming the American federal republic conference

On the 16th and 17th of October 2026 the LSE Phelan US Centre hosted the conference Taming polarization: Reforming the American federal republic.

On the 16th and 17th of October 2026 the LSE Phelan US Centre hosted the conference Taming polarization: Reforming the American federal republic.

On the 16th and 17th of October 2026 the LSE Phelan US Centre hosted the conference Taming polarization: Reforming the American federal republic.

President Donald Trump’s two terms in the White House have seen the president take a range of actions with congressional approval, leading to warnings from many commentators that America is in a state of constitutional crisis.

Is America experiencing a constitutional crisis, or have we reached the point of constitutional failure? At this LSE Phelan US Centre event, leading scholar on American constitutional history, Professor Jack Rakove, explored this question