Is Trump king? The White House would like you to think so, having recently released a fake paper cover in the style of Time Magazine on Twitter with a caption that reads: “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan and all of New York is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING.”
This is getting more unhinged by the day so let’s break this down. What is a “real” king’s power? In an absolute monarchy, the monarch rules as an autocrat, with absolute power over the state and government—for example, the right to rule by decree, promulgate laws, and impose punishments. In a constitutional monarchy, the monarch's power is subject to a constitution and they are a ceremonial or symbolic head of state with limited or no political power.
And while Trump loves all things royal, like over-the-top inaugural balls and large military parades that exude that king-like prowess, he’s been taking it farther lately with not just words or social media posts, but with actions.
His flurry of executive orders have often overstepped legal boundaries, he’s fired officials and rundown federal agencies, trying to freeze funds already allocated by Congress.
And just last week, in one of his most brazen moves, he signed an executive order stating that only the President and the Attorney General can decide what is law in the United States.
The order covers all federal employees and agencies, including independent agencies operating under the executive branch of the US government. Historically, independent agencies exist outside the executive branch and are largely free of presidential control.
The order states: “For the Federal Government to be truly accountable to the American people, officials who wield vast executive power must be supervised and controlled by the people’s elected President.”
Jurist reported: They pointed to Article II, Clause 1 in the Constitution, which states, “executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America,” to support this interpretation.
However, Article II does not expressly state that the president or any other person in the executive branch has the power to interpret laws. The article states that the president is required to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.”
Jurisdiction to interpret laws and determine constitutionality belongs to the judicial branch under Article III. The framers of the Constitution designed the separation of duties to prevent any single branch of government from becoming too powerful.
Under the order, all agencies will be required to submit to “performance standards and management objectives” established by the Office of Management and Budget and “report periodically to the President.” Only the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Open Market Committee are exempted.
They called this the unitary executive theory, a sophisticated way of saying that Trump can rule over the executive branch like a king. In other words, every one of its millions of employees serves at the president's beck and call as though they were employees at one of his private companies. Which we know he has bankrupted…at least four times.
According to the New York Times, part of the theory would interpret some of what Mr. Trump has been doing as lawful under the belief that it is not illegal to disregard an unconstitutional statute. But even if the prevailing laws were valid, the president seems to be suggesting that he is entitled to break them if his motive is to save the country.
And public opinion is starting to show that Donald Trump should not be wearing any sort of crown.
The Washington Post released a report saying that Trump’s popularity is starting to wane, with 57% saying he has exceeded his authority, his approval is down to 45% with 53% disapproving. Even more importantly two in three say that he should have approval from Congress — remember them — before freezing funds. It also noted that two in three disapprove of Elon Musk shutting down agencies.
Even more, two in three say Trump isn’t “honest or trustworthy” and nine in 10 had negative views on food prices…which have climbed since Trump took power.
So what does it all mean?
We have to remember this. WE THE PEOPLE are the government. It is made up of us, including representatives in Congress, in the Senate and yes, even the president. They are not a king to rule with absolute power, but instead, a key figure in making sure the legislation, created by Congress, fulfills the needs of the people.
And what we NEED right now is for Congress and the Senate on both sides of the aisle to recognize the moment we are in and ACT. If we do not, the country they all claim to love so much and the constitution they took an oath to uphold and protect will be no more.
This is our country, it doesn’t belong to Trump or any one person. So what does your act of resistance look like? Share with me.
And until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other. In solidarity, Natalie
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