The Ford School of Public Policy’s Weiser Diplomacy Center hosted Washington Post journalist John Hudson on Wednesday afternoon to discuss national security and recent events concerning immigration, the Russia-Ukraine war, the ongoing Israeli military campaign in Gaza and the challenges he faced as a journalist. The event, titled “National Security in the 2020s: Looking Back and Ahead,” was mediated by Javed Ali, associate professor of practice at the Public Policy School.
Hudson first spoke on the shifting priorities from former President Joe Biden to President Donald Trump’s administrations on the issue of immigration and violence in Latin America.
“The big difference that really sticks out to me is the relationship between Rubio and El Salvador president Bukele,” Hudson said. “Rubio is the point man in that relationship … Bukele has extended his olive branch to the Trump administration, saying ‘I’ll take anybody.’”
Hudson also discussed the Russia-Ukraine war, saying he felt the handling of the conflict by the Trump and Biden administrations differed greatly.
“This is one of the policy areas where you couldn’t imagine a more stark difference,” said Hudson. “In the Biden administration, their plan was to essentially send as many weapons as possible … and help Ukraine win on the battlefield. And now turn the page to the Trump administration, and he’s trying to bring the end in a rapid clip.”
Hudson then spoke on how the Trump administration is addressing the ongoing Israeli military campaign in Gaza. He explained both administrations wanted to take credit for the cease-fire deal negotiated in January, as individuals from both administrations took part in negotiations.
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Hudson said he believed there is a potential crackdown on journalistic freedom by the new administration.
“Publishing classified information, are journalists going to be prosecuted for doing things like that?” Hudson said. “Anytime you have a sort of norm-shifting presidency, those are concerns that end up happening.”
Rackham student Sheva Khaminov, who attended the event, told The Daily she admired Hudson for his ability to navigate the changing landscape of national security and journalism.
“He’s still waiting out the storm the same way we are and knowing that you know folks on the inside, again, reporters, you know staff are kind of being left out in a sort of bubble in terms of what’s really going on at the federal level,” Khaimov said.
Khaimov said her favorite part of the event was Hudson’s discussion of the realities of the field of journalism.
“It was almost refreshing and almost shocking to hear that he said that the things that are romanticized about journalism actually kind of do exist, and that is the reality that he lives in,” Khaimov said.
Daily Staff Contributor Micayla Horwitz can be reached at hmicayla@umich.edu.
Correction 04/04 : John Hudson’s occupation has been updated to reflect he is not an opinion columnist.
