Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Trump is the kinglike president many feared when arguing over the US Constitution in 1789 ...
Trump is the kinglike president many feared when arguing over the US Constitution in 1789 – and his address to Congress showed it
Published: March 4, 2025 11:00pm EST
Author
Maurizio Valsania
Professor of American History, Università di Torino
Disclosure statement
Maurizio Valsania does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
If there are any limits to a president’s power, it wasn’t evident from Donald Trump’s speech before a joint session of Congress on March 4, 2025. ... In that speech, the first before lawmakers of Trump’s second term, the president declared vast accomplishments during the brief six weeks of his presidency. He claimed to have “brought back free speech” to the country. He declared that there were only two sexes, “male and female.” He reminded the audience that he had unilaterally renamed an international body of water as well as the country’s tallest mountain.
“Our country is on the verge of a comeback the likes of which the world has never witnessed, and perhaps will never witness again,” Trump asserted. ... The extravagant claims appear to match Trump’s view of the presidency – one virtually kinglike in its unilateral power. ... It’s true that the U.S. Constitution’s crucial section about the executive branch, Article 2, does not grant the president unlimited power. But it does make this figure the sole “Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States.” ... This monopoly on the use of force is one way Trump could support his 2019 claim that he can do “whatever I want as President.”
Before Trump’s speech, protesters outside had taken issue with Trump’s wielding of such unchecked power. One protester’s sign said, “We the People don’t want false kings in our house.” ... With those words, she echoed a concern about presidential power that originated more than 200 years ago.
{snip}
Published: March 4, 2025 11:00pm EST
Author
Maurizio Valsania
Professor of American History, Università di Torino
Disclosure statement
Maurizio Valsania does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
If there are any limits to a president’s power, it wasn’t evident from Donald Trump’s speech before a joint session of Congress on March 4, 2025. ... In that speech, the first before lawmakers of Trump’s second term, the president declared vast accomplishments during the brief six weeks of his presidency. He claimed to have “brought back free speech” to the country. He declared that there were only two sexes, “male and female.” He reminded the audience that he had unilaterally renamed an international body of water as well as the country’s tallest mountain.
“Our country is on the verge of a comeback the likes of which the world has never witnessed, and perhaps will never witness again,” Trump asserted. ... The extravagant claims appear to match Trump’s view of the presidency – one virtually kinglike in its unilateral power. ... It’s true that the U.S. Constitution’s crucial section about the executive branch, Article 2, does not grant the president unlimited power. But it does make this figure the sole “Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States.” ... This monopoly on the use of force is one way Trump could support his 2019 claim that he can do “whatever I want as President.”
Before Trump’s speech, protesters outside had taken issue with Trump’s wielding of such unchecked power. One protester’s sign said, “We the People don’t want false kings in our house.” ... With those words, she echoed a concern about presidential power that originated more than 200 years ago.
{snip}
1 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
