Stephanie A. (Sam) Martin, Boise State University Archives

Author: Stephanie A. (Sam) Martin, Boise State University

Author

Stephanie A. (Sam) Martin, Boise State University

Sam Martin, Ph.D. is the Frank and Bethine Church Endowed Chair of Public Affairs and Associate Professor at Boise State University. Her research focuses on political storytelling and civic identity. Martin has produced four books about American democracy including "Columns to Character: The Presidency and the Press in the Digital Age (2018), "Decoding the Digital Church: Evangelical Storytelling and the Election of Donald J. Trump" (2021) and The Future is Now (2024), a book for teachers celebrating Senator Frank Church’s centennial. She works closely with K-12 educators to support meaningful civic instruction.

Martin is considered an expert in: political communication, deliberative democracy, public discourse, the American presidency, civics education, conservative social movements, religious voters, media effects and media theory.

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Presidential Words Can Turn the Unthinkable Into the Thinkable − For Better or For Worse

by Stephanie A. (Sam) Martin, Boise State University April 9, 2026

Among the most disorienting things about President Donald Trump’s public language is how easily it can feel numbing and shocking in the same moment. He says something... Read more.

Frozen Talks on ICE Tactics

Senate Democrats Surrender Shutdown Fight, Leaving Health Care and Aid at Risk

Shutdown Politics We Understand

Trump to Workers: Drop Dead

Blowing Away Wind Farms

2025: The Year the US Gave Up On Climate, and the World Gave Up On Us

Jane Goodall, the Gentle Disrupter Whose Research on Chimpanzees Redefined What It Meant To Be Human

Defending the Earth Is Deadly Work. A New Report Illuminates How Much.

Holding Our Breath: Who Doesn’t Love A Good Rescue Story?

Pete Hegseth’s “Kill Talk” and the Death of Democratic War Rhetoric

Trump’s Iran War: Bombing Without a Plan, Authority, or Endgame

Trump Bombed Ayatollah’s Home But Not Putin’s?

Blowing Away Wind Farms

Energy Transition: What It Means for Oil and Gas Trading

Trump Is Fast-Tracking New Coal Mines — Even When They Don’t Make Economic Sense

Trump’s Coal Fetish

Presidential Words Can Turn the Unthinkable Into the Thinkable − For Better or For Worse

This Is Why Iran Wanted Nukes

Knocking Off Iranian Leaders

Avoiding Any Blame in Iran

Drugs Would Be Cheap but for Patents That Make Them Expensive

What to Do When “What’s Next?” Becomes Impossible to Ignore

Autism Services Blocked by Administrative Barriers

How Your Medical Bills Get Paid After a Crash

From Courtroom Dividers to Legal Credentials and the History of the BAR

How BioMax Red Light Panels Support Faster Healing

Common Road Hazards That Lead to Bicycle Accidents

Foreign Investment Flows into Canada Signal Renewed Global Confidence

Author: Stephanie A. (Sam) Martin, Boise State University

Author

Presidential Words Can Turn the Unthinkable Into the Thinkable − For Better or For Worse