About 240 years ago, our constitution was created. Our founders wisely sought to pit the various branches of government against each other, to some degree, and use each branch to control and sometimes limit the actions of the other branches. This system, which came to be known as the American system of ‘checks and balances,’ operated quite well (usually) for the first two centuries of the United States’ existence.
From the start, the founders were especially wary of a too-powerful, overreaching presidency and executive branch. They fully expected the judicial and legislative branches to act as ‘brakes’ on the executive branch and limit its actions and powers when necessary.
However, over the past 40 years or so the powers of the executive branch and the presidency have been greatly expanded — while the power and effectiveness of the legislative branch have steadily diminished. During this period, the Supreme Court often sided with the executive branch at the expense of the legislative branch — and our whole society — and over the past several years the Supreme Court has bent over backward to strengthen the presidency and its powers. There is also much ‘conservative’ support for more expansive — almost unlimited — presidential power(s) encapsulated in their ‘Unitary Executive’ theory.
But all these Supreme Court decisions have come at a heavy sociopolitical cost. The U.S. just re-elected an amoral scoundrel, racist, and con man who doesn’t give a damn about any of our laws, norms, or governmental processes.
Last year this strongly conservative Supreme Court decided that all acts a president performs in the course of his duties and governing functions are totally immune from any prosecution or legal entanglements. Even purely ‘personal’ acts are usually ‘presumed’ immune unless criminal intent can be fully proven in court.
This ruling set a very high, perhaps insurmountable, bar for prosecuting a U.S. president. When combined with the growing strength of the presidency under the ‘Unitary Executive’ doctrine, what we’ve got now is an unchained, unchecked — and unaccountable — presidency.
All this consolidation of power has resulted in an ‘Imperial Presidency’ that looks, acts, and smells more like autocratic tyranny than the intended democratic (small ‘d’), limited presidency.
This type of ‘Imperial Presidency’ wields exactly the kind of monarchical power that the colonists and founders were trying to escape.
Trump 2.0 is far more dangerous and oppressive than his first term
Then, into this volatile anti-democratic setup charged Donald Trump — again — who made no secret of his tyrannical ambitions and dictatorial style.
He campaigned on various ‘strong man’ promises to deport illegal immigrants, reverse all of Biden’s and other liberals’ legacies, destroy the left’s ‘woke’ and ‘green’ agendas, and enact swift retribution on all who tried to stop or control him during his first term.
This is all standard tyrannical fare: vintage despotism in action.
Prior to the election, when asked if he would become a dictator, Trump slyly promised he’d ‘only be a dictator on Day One’ of his presidency. Then, as soon as he was inaugurated on January 20, he did exactly that — but then extended his extreme ‘dictating’ through his entire first week in office… and beyond.
Every day, he has issued new executive orders, edicts, and outrageous proclamations, covering every aspect of American life and politics. He is, indeed, turning into a full-scale tyrant right before our eyes.
‘The King of Lawsuits’ and unaccountability
To make matters even worse, Mr. Trump has fifty years of experience tangling with our legal system and tying it in knots. He is an expert — probably the world’s foremost expert — at manipulating and abusing our legal system and using our legal and justice systems against us.
He is the ultimate cynical manipulator and believes in nothing except his own wealth, power, and influence.
His intense narcissism poses a huge problem for our supposed ‘checks and balances’ — first, because he has NO desire whatsoever to abide by or honor our constitution, laws, and norms; second, because he has no respect or use for Congress, blatantly ignores their concerns, and often undermines their ability to function and pass legislation (Last year he totally and suddenly sabotaged a bipartisan fiscal deal and legislation and forced Congress to start all over again.); and third, because he is utterly ruthless in abusing both our legal and justice systems.
As an expert in legal obfuscation and manipulation, he knows full well how to consistently evade accountability and consequences.
It’s not for nothing that he earned the title ‘The King of Lawsuit’ (3,500+ and counting!); he constantly utilizes his cynical modus operandi of ‘deny, deny, deny’ and ‘delay, delay, delay.’ And he uses our vital legal appeal processes against us and issues appeal after appeal, in a seemingly endless parade of delay and unaccountability.
Trump’s ferocious ‘blitzkrieg attack’ on America
The underlying problem — and it’s a thorny and perhaps insoluble one — is that our entire system depends on willing ‘buy in’ from our citizens and politicians and their acceptance of our democratic norms, laws, and political processes. When someone like Mr. Trump, who doesn’t believe in or adhere to any of these crucial values, rises to the position of president, it places our nation and entire system in dire jeopardy.
Being who he is, he will abuse the powers of the presidency and will do everything possible to abrogate all power to himself. He has already shown us, numerous times, how effective he and his legal team are at snarling our legal system, ignoring Congressional actions and needs, gumming up our justice system, and effectively delaying/avoiding any and all accountability.
But he’s also counting on the ‘shock and awe’ effects of his lightning blitz of executive orders, decrees, firings, and demotions to paralyze our legislators and our entire governmental system.
In cahoots with the many seditious ‘Project 2025’ proponents he’s now surrounded by, Trump is gleefully stomping on our hallowed traditions and norms and giving a giddy ‘middle finger salute’ to America. Even further, he’s been bellowing a maniacal, bullying “F*ck You!” at the entire world and all its nations.
It’s as if his every action and statement is saying, “I’m going to do whatever the hell I want, however I want, to whomever I want — and I dare you to try to stop me!” Unfortunately for us, so far his bravado and bluster are totally justified — precisely because his devious ploys are succeeding and we have not been able to stop him or slow him down.
If it speaks and acts like a tyrant — it’s a tyrant
His lightning blitz of tyrannical orders and decrees is working; almost everything he says or does effectively becomes ‘the law of the land’ overnight, and fear and paralysis are spreading through the nation like wildfire.
Although there may be — will be — many challenges to his power and authority, the grim truth is that once his edicts and orders enter the public square and go into effect, it will be quite difficult to reverse many of them. And he knows this and is depending on the slowness of our systems, safeguards, and legal repercussions.
He knows that our systems can’t keep up with him or do much to slow him down, at this point. He knows he has won — for the immediate future, at least — and our vaunted ‘checks and balances’ have fallen apart and failed.
Trump and his minions have brazenly defeated and humiliated the United States of America — and now they’re exulting in their victory.
For the foreseeable future, and throughout our beleaguered nation, the new ‘mantra’ being force-fed to us is: All Hail King Trump!
Or else!
“This America” — an op-ed publication
To aid in promoting This America, I will be adding this tag set only for the first month of our new pub. Gael MacLean, Richard Lowenthal, and Charles Bastille are editors for this publication. Nick Rogers, The Mouthy Renegade Writer, Fay Wylde, Kelly Carmichael, Robert G. Longpré [he / him], Coach Robin 🫠, Jeff Eagle, John Egelkrout, John P. Weiss, Bill Abbate, Brian Lageose, Jay Squires are our founding members.
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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.
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“…over the past 40 years or so the powers of the executive branch and the presidency have been greatly expanded — while the power and effectiveness of the legislative branch have steadily diminished. During this period, the Supreme Court often sided with the executive branch at the expense of the legislative branch… But all these Supreme Court decisions have come at a heavy sociopolitical cost. The U.S. just re-elected an amoral scoundrel, racist, and con man who doesn’t give a damn about any of our laws, norms, or governmental processes.” The U.S. Constitution takes for granted that the citizenry will facilitate and assist… Read more »