Trump's expanded presidential powers create global headaches

Since Donald Trump's return to the White House, the United States and the world have grappled with the implications of his presidency. Trump has wielded significant executive power, issuing over 200 executive orders last year alone to push policies like anti-immigration measures, federal employee cuts, and the dismantling of diversity initiatives. He has also challenged the international order, prioritizing "America First" and using tariffs to pressure other nations.

A new book, "Superpower," by William G. Howell, dean of the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy, and Terry M. Moe, a professor of political science at Stanford University, directly confronts this unchecked presidential authority. The authors label Trump as the first "strongman president" in American history. They analyze how he has eroded democratic institutions through actions such as contesting election results, politicizing the Justice Department, attacking the civil service, and disregarding Congress.

The book argues that "Strongman Trump" did not emerge overnight or as a mere personal aberration. It traces the steady increase in presidential power since Ronald Reagan, exploring the historical and structural factors that paved the way for Trump's ascent. The authors identify public anger toward the bureaucratic administrative state, a yearning for strong leadership, and a media landscape rife with misinformation and conspiracy theories as key drivers of populism. These conditions, they contend, converged to create the "Trump phenomenon."

Experts express grim forecasts for American democracy, which is now imperiled. The book prompts reflection on the fundamental principles that underpin democracy, such as checks and balances and the rule of law, and encourages consideration of how these principles can be preserved.