With today’s constantly changing political landscape, staying informed about happenings in the White House is increasingly challenging. The Salisbury Forum will welcome Peter Baker to Walker Auditorium on Friday, September 20, at 7:30 p.m. to give a talk entitled “Trump, Obama, and the Modern White House.” The lecture will be followed by a Q&A.
Baker is the chief White House correspondent for the New York Times and a political analyst for MSNBC. Currently covering President Donald Trump, Baker also covered the Obama, Bush, and Clinton administrations. Baker is also the author of two books, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House and Obama: The Call of History.
Many community members look forward to hearing Baker speak. Ms. Caroline Kenny-Burchfield, coordinator of volunteer programs, said, “It’s an opportunity to hear from someone who has watched history unfold through the lenses of many different administrations.”
As the media’s relationship with the White House continues to evolve, students are interested in learning from Baker’s 30 years of experience in journalism. Alexander McLane ’20 said, “This is quite a special talk, because [Baker is] really close to the situation and can probably comment better than anyone else on how the media is being treated by the Trump administration.”
Considering Baker’s experience with four different administrations, many are interested in his thoughts on the current administration. Diana Reiss ’20 said, “In a very [non]-conforming and unexpected political landscape, I’m interested to see what his reflections will be considering his past experience, what he thinks we should do now, and what he thinks we can learn from past administrations.”
The Salisbury Forum, which hosts the talk, is a local organization dedicated to offering important speakers and documentary films to the community. Since 2005, the Forum has hosted a range of speakers, including politicians, journalists, scientists, and filmmakers. Through partnerships with Hotchkiss, the Salisbury School, Housatonic Valley Regional High School, and other groups, the Forum aims to encourage awareness of the world around us.
The next event the Forum will host is a lecture by James Forman, Jr., on Friday, November 15, at 7:30 p.m. at the Housatonic Valley Regional high School. Forman is Professor of Law at Yale Law School and author of Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America, winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction.