The reign of wannabe dictator Donald Trump has produced some of the most repugnant policies ever to be foisted on the American people. They are replete with racist, misogynist, and xenophobic bigotry. They have the stench of corruption and flagrant self-enrichment. They serve to embrace our enemies and alienate our allies. And they are brazen assaults on the Constitution, particularly the promise of due process and protections of the free press.
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In five short months, Trump’s second occupation of the White House has proven to be far more destructive of the principles that shaped the nation. Trump has surrounded himself with suck-ups who will never challenge his anti-American proposals. And he has set a determined course to cleanse the government of knowledgeable, non-partisan administrators and legal counsel. That leaves him with a worshipful cult of sycophants who are devoted to Dear Leader…
SEE THIS: Trump Cult Priestess, Karoline Leavitt, Preaches the Divine Infallibility of Dear Leader
Unfortunately, Trump has succeeded in some measure to construct a cabal of loyalists in his administration. And with the help of the radical right-leaning Supreme Court, he has managed to secure a number of policy and process victories that he is giddily celebrating. However, Trump may not have as much to celebrate as he thinks. As reported by Axios, Trump and his minions in Congress are setting some new precedents that could come back to bite him in his asinine and arrogant rear flank.
“Through silence or vocal support, House and Senate Republicans are backing an extraordinary set of new precedents for presidential power they may come to regret if and when Democrats seize those same powers…New precedents are exhilarating when you’re in power — and excruciating when you’re not.”
Here are 10 new precedents, all set with minimal GOP dissent:
- Presidents can limit the classified information they share with lawmakers after bombing a foreign country without the approval of Congress.
Trump is already refusing to brief Democrats in Congress on his adventurism in Iran, and who knows what else. - Presidents can usurp Congress’s power to levy tariffs, provided they declare a national emergency.
The constitution gives Congress the authority to levy taxes and tariffs, not the president. - Presidents can unilaterally freeze spending approved by Congress, and dismantle or fire the heads of independent agencies established by law.
Trump has unlawfully impounded funds allocated by law and terminated thousands of agency staff over which he has no authority. - Presidents can take control of a state’s National Guard, even if the governor opposes it, and occupy the state for as long as said president wants.
This is the fascist overreach that Trump has taken in Los Angeles, despite having no legal basis or justification. - Presidents can accept gifts from foreign nations, as large as a $200 million plane, even if it’s unclear whether said president gets to keep the plane at the end of the term.
The plane that Trump is getting from Qatar will cost taxpayers another billion dollars to retrofit to standards that comply with Air Force One. And then it will be gifted to his library. - Presidents can actively profit from their time in office, including creating new currencies structured to allow foreign nationals to invest anonymously, benefiting said president.
Trump is raking in millions (billions?) of dollars from his personal businesses and crypto scams. - Presidents can try to browbeat the Federal Reserve into cutting interest rates, including by floating replacements for the Fed chair before their term is up.
Trump has been lying that there is no inflation and, therefore, Fed Chair Jerome Powell is stupid for not cutting interest rates. - Presidents can direct the Justice Department to prosecute their political opponents and punish critics. These punishments can include stripping Secret Service protections, suing them and threatening imprisonment.
Trump has already pardoned 1,500 insurrectionists, and then fired the attorneys in the Justice Department who prosecuted them. And his Attorney Genuflect, Pam Bondi has indicted several Democrats on trumped up charges. - Presidents can punish media companies, law firms and universities that don’t share their viewpoints or values.
Trump is suing several ABC News, CBS News, the New York Times, and others, for having the audacity to report the truth about him. And he is threatening and defunding universities who refuse to kowtow to his fascist demands. - Presidents can aggressively pardon supporters, including those who made large political donations as part of their bid for freedom. The strength of the case in said pardons is irrelevant.
Not only is the strength of the case irrelevant, but so is the crime. Trump has pardoned deep-pocketed supporters who were convicted of drug trafficking, sex crimes, and more.
This is not a comprehensive list. The dangerous precedents being set by Trump extend to many other matters, including immigration, foreign aid, civil liberties, voting rights, state sovereignty, and so much more.
The one thing that Trump and the MAGA GOP have going for them is that Democrats are far more personally moral and legally ethical. While these precedents may apply to them as well when they are in power, they are less likely to avail themselves of them, or to abuse them the way that Trump and Republicans do. And at this stage in Trump’s dissolution of American democracy, it’s hard to say whether that’s a good thing or bad thing.
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