Former Presidents can be effective opinion makers long after leaving office

While in theory a president’s power should end when they end their term in office, they can often wield considerable influence after they leave the White House. In new research, Gregory H. Winger and Alex Oliver explore the power of what they term the ‘Rhetorical Post-Presidency’. Using surveys to test the influence of former presidents’ statements on certain policy issues, they find that former presidents can influence public opinion, but that this often depends on the president and the issue. They also find that Donald Trump’s toxicity with Democratic voters fell between 2020 – when he was president – and 2022 – after he left the White House.