The Brian Mulroney Institute of Government Presents

One Year In: The Second Trump Term in Focus

February 26, 2026
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm AST
Mulroney Hall 2030

Panelists: Asa McKercher (PGOV), Hailey Murphy (Political Science), Vijay Vishwakarma (Schwartz School of Business), and Anna Zuschlag (Mulroney Institute)

Moderator: Nathan Allen (Political Science)

The first year of the second Trump administration has been dominated by rapid-fire policy realignment and ever heightening socio-political polarization. Seismic domestic shifts have led to disruptions in areas such as trade and foreign policy, and how the US deals with multilateral institutions. Volatility in the transnational landscape has injected uncertainty into the very existence of the international rules-based order. Please join the Mulroney Institute of Government for a panel discussion exploring what the second Trump term’s impact has been on Canada, the world at large, and the United States of America itself. All are welcome.

All are welcome.

Nathan Allen

Nathan Allen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at StFX. Since joining Political Science, he has taught the “American Politics” course. His research examines elections and voting rights. Prior to arriving at StFX, Dr. Allen managed a survey program at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.

Asa McKercher

Asa McKercher is Steven K. Hudson Chair in Canada-US Relations at the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government at StFX. A specialist on American politics and on the Canadian-American relationship, his latest books include Building a Special Relationship: Canada-US Relations in the Eisenhower Era, 1953-1961 (2024) and North of America: Canadians and the American Century (2023).

Hailey Murphy

Dr. Hailey Murphy is a Professor of Political Science where her research focuses on Canadian politics, queer political participation, and the politics of recognition. She is currently completing a book under contract with Fernwood Publishing examining LGBTQ rights and queer political history. She is also a collaborator on a SSHRC-funded research project examining women’s exits from municipal politics in Nova Scotia. Her broader work explores questions of citizenship, political autonomy, and the relationship between identity, power, and democratic participation, with particular attention to queer women’s political experiences.

Vijay Vishwakarma

Dr. Vijay Kumar Vishwakarma has been a faculty member at StFX since 2008. He serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Accounting and Finance at the Gerald Schwartz School of Business. Dr. Vishwakarma obtained his PhD in Finance from the University of New Orleans.

Throughout his time at the university, he has taught a variety of finance courses, but his main emphasis is on investments and derivatives. He collaborated on the first and second editions of the highly regarded textbook Fundamentals of Investing (Pearson Canada), alongside Smart, Zutter, and Yüce. His research areas include real estate, financial econometrics, and corporate finance; and he has published and presented extensive work on these topics.

Anna Zuschlag

Anna Zuschlag is the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government’s Program/Research Manager. Dr. Zuschlag holds a PhD in American History from Western University. Her academic research focuses on representations of masculinity during the Cold War and more specifically, images of draft resistance during the Vietnam War and Reagan eras. She has taught courses in American History, American Studies, and Canadian History at Western University, and in US-Canada Relations, Canadian History, and US-Hispanic Relations at StFX.

Header photo: René Deanda