Julian E. Zelizer

Julian E. Zelizer is a columnist at Foreign Policy and a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. He is the author of The Long View, a newsletter putting the news in perspective.

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Articles by Julian E. Zelizer
A row of Supreme Court justices with an extra row of laughing talking duplicate FDRs.
A row of Supreme Court justices with an extra row of laughing talking duplicate FDRs.

Why FDR’s Court-Packing Plan Was Nothing Like What Trump Is Doing

Argument
Julian E. Zelizer
A woman holds a baby in her arms feeding it a bottle. Behind her is the roof of the Superdome with National Guard soldiers milling about.
A woman holds a baby in her arms feeding it a bottle. Behind her is the roof of the Superdome with National Guard soldiers milling about.

Remembering Hurricane Katrina and Its Political Aftermath

Analysis
Julian E. Zelizer
A mass of people in swimsuits, many children run splashing in fright out of the ocean.
A mass of people in swimsuits, many children run splashing in fright out of the ocean.

What ‘Jaws’ Teaches Us About America—Fifty Years On

Analysis
Julian E. Zelizer
A historic editorial cartoon depicts a twisted electoral district in Massachusetts as a winged salamander with claws and teeth.
A historic editorial cartoon depicts a twisted electoral district in Massachusetts as a winged salamander with claws and teeth.

Why Texas’s Power Grab Is So Dangerous

Analysis
Julian E. Zelizer
A plane with the words "Enola Gay" on the side on display. Several people are standing around it.
A plane with the words "Enola Gay" on the side on display. Several people are standing around it.

The Hiroshima Exhibition the World Wasn’t Allowed to See

Analysis
Julian E. Zelizer
A man in a suit holds a pointer as he stands in front of a map of the U.S. labeled "Communist Party Organization U.S.A.-Feb. 9, 1950."
A man in a suit holds a pointer as he stands in front of a map of the U.S. labeled "Communist Party Organization U.S.A.-Feb. 9, 1950."

How the ‘Paranoid Style’ Took Over U.S. Politics

Analysis
Julian E. Zelizer
Protestors carry signs as they demonstrate against proposed cuts to Medicaid and Medicare outside City Hall in San Francisco on Sept. 21, 2011.
Protestors carry signs as they demonstrate against proposed cuts to Medicaid and Medicare outside City Hall in San Francisco on Sept. 21, 2011.

Why Don’t Americans Rise up Against Unpopular Policy Anymore?

Analysis
Julian E. Zelizer
Lyndon Johnson stands in front a lectern with the presidential seal on it. Teleprompters are set up on either side. Behind him is a stretch of water, and beyond that, the looming high-rise buildings of the New York City skyline.
Lyndon Johnson stands in front a lectern with the presidential seal on it. Teleprompters are set up on either side. Behind him is a stretch of water, and beyond that, the looming high-rise buildings of the New York City skyline.

How Lyndon Johnson Moved the Nation Forward on Immigration

Analysis
Julian E. Zelizer
Phillip Swagel, director of the Congressional Budget Office.
Phillip Swagel, director of the Congressional Budget Office.

Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” Leaves the Congressional Budget Office Battling for Relevance This article has an audio recording

Analysis
Julian E. Zelizer
A woodcut style illustration depicts five U.S. presidents, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Nixon, Bush, and Trump
A woodcut style illustration depicts five U.S. presidents, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Nixon, Bush, and Trump

Is Trump’s Use of Executive Power Really So Different?

Essay
Julian E. Zelizer
People demonstrate against the United States entering a war with Iran outside the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 9, 2020.
People demonstrate against the United States entering a war with Iran outside the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 9, 2020.

What Happened to the War Powers Act?

Analysis
Julian E. Zelizer
Two U.S. National Guard soldiers armed with machine guns and grenade launchers in Los Angeles in 1992. One smiles at the camera behind a face shield.
Two U.S. National Guard soldiers armed with machine guns and grenade launchers in Los Angeles in 1992. One smiles at the camera behind a face shield.

A Rare Presidential Power Could Enable Trump’s Authoritarianism

Argument
Julian E. Zelizer
U.S. Rep. Newt Gingrich shrugs in a photo.
U.S. Rep. Newt Gingrich shrugs in a photo.

How Republicans Became the Anti-Tax Party

Analysis
Julian E. Zelizer
Members of the National Guard patrol the University of California, Berkeley, campus amid protests against the closure of People’s Park in Berkeley, California.
Members of the National Guard patrol the University of California, Berkeley, campus amid protests against the closure of People’s Park in Berkeley, California.

The Origins of the Campus Wars

Analysis
Julian E. Zelizer
First Lady Nancy Reagan rests her head against her husband, U.S. President Ronald Reagan, as he praised her during a luncheon in New Orleans on 15 Aug. 1988.
First Lady Nancy Reagan rests her head against her husband, U.S. President Ronald Reagan, as he praised her during a luncheon in New Orleans on 15 Aug. 1988.

What Ronald Reagan Can Teach Democrats in 2025 This article has an audio recording

Analysis
Julian E. Zelizer
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