() The debate around whether President Trump is wielding executive power differently from his predecessors has become a hot topic.
Recently, Trump took steps for the federal government to assume control over Washington D.C., proposed renaming the Department of Defense to the “Department of War,” and issued directives to 40 states, five U.S. territories, and Washington, D.C., to eliminate references to transgender individuals in their sex education curricula or risk losing funding.
Is he attempting to exert too much control? Allan Lichtman, a presidential historian at American University, explains to “On Balance” that Trump presents a significant departure from how past presidents have managed these aspects.
“There are multiple instances of potential presidential overreach, but the magnitude and implications of Trump’s actions are unprecedented in the nation’s modern history,” says Lichtman.
President Trump has said he can do what he wants
Lichtman points out that Trump has claimed he can do whatever he pleases, and such an approach has not been observed in nearly fifty years.
“We haven’t heard anything like that since Richard Nixon’s post-presidential interview with David Frost, which sparked a huge backlash.”
Lichtman also provided specific examples of Trump contravening three specific elements of the U.S. Constitution.
“The birthright provision of the 14th Amendment, and the time and manner clause of the Constitution concerning elections, which assigns administration exclusively to the states, except where Congress makes laws, not the president,” he explained.
“He has no authority whatsoever, and yet, he’s claimed the states have to do what he demands on elections.”
Trump has authorized government authority to unvetted individuals
Lichtman observes that Trump has differed from other presidents by giving individuals, some in the private sector, the authority to dismiss hundreds of thousands of federal employees without cause.
“He has used (his power) in an unprecedented way,” Lichtman said.
He also noted that Trump has made declarations of “national emergency” and placed military forces in Los Angeles in response to immigration policy protests there.
