2026 Cherry Award Finalist Public Lecture: Lendol Calder, Ph.D.

Lecture Synopsis

He is the most improbable yet influential political figure of our time: Donald Trump.  When he descended the golden escalator in 2015, many dismissed it as a stunt, not a serious presidential bid. Yet months later, Trump’s “Make America Great Again” story captivated millions.

Drawing on three decades of listening to college students as they try to make sense of America’s past, I will examine how a dearth of coherent national narratives created a vacuum that Trump’s story of America filled. Historians erred, I will argue, when they gave up national storytelling in teaching and research, ceding ground to purveyors of nostalgia and simple slogans. 

Finally, I will survey possibilities for forging a new national narrative—one that respects evidence, acknowledges the complexities of America’s past, and equips future generations to engage history with critical insight.

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