Pulitzer Prize-Winning Reporter David Cay Johnston to Speak in Jamestown on "How to Save Our Democracy” Thursday, July 24, 2025

​Jamestown, N.Y. – David Cay Johnston, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and prominent political commentator, will return to Jamestown to deliver a talk titled "How to Save Our Democracy." The event, presented by the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown, will take place on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. at the congregation's location at 1255 Prendergast Avenue, Jamestown.

Johnston is widely recognized for his extensive and long-running research on Donald Trump, a subject he has covered since before the 2016 election. His presentation will offer his assessment of the current threats to American society posed by the Trump presidency, along with his prescriptions for resistance and the protection of democratic principles.

Often referring to himself as “Donald Trump’s most hated journalist,” Johnston has followed Trump's career closely since 1988, when he first wrote about Trump potentially becoming president. This is a unique opportunity to hear Johnston’s insights on what actions are necessary to safeguard democracy from the individual he characterizes as a “dictator.”

Johnston's investigative work has uncovered numerous facets of Trump's past, including his dealings with a business partner who confessed to being a major cocaine trafficker, the presence of underage gamblers in Trump casinos, the illegal hiring of undocumented aliens, lucrative business associations with Russian mobsters, and a documented ignorance of basic historical facts, such as the events at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

A best-selling author, Johnston has penned eight books, three of which focus on Donald Trump: The Making of Donald Trump (2016 biography), It’s Even Worse Than You Think (2018, assessing Trump’s efforts to dismantle civil rights and environmental laws), and The Big Cheat (documenting how Trump enriched himself and his family during his first term). 

Johnston currently serves as a professor at Rochester Institute of Technology, where he teaches courses in law and journalism. Since 1993, the father of eight has lived in Rochester with his wife, Jennifer Leonard, the now-retired CEO of Rochester Area Community Foundation.

This event is free and open to the public. Donations are welcome to defray the event’s expenses. Parking is available behind the congregation building and in the Christ First United Methodist Church lot directly across Prendergast Avenue.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown is a welcoming and inclusive community dedicated to spiritual growth, social justice, and intellectual exploration. 

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