Donald Trump wants to be a president-king. Forget fascism or any other term academics might want to attach to Trump’s activities; the principle is very simple. Trump wants the Executive Branch to no longer be an equal branch of government.
The current president wants his branch to be above the other two in terms of status and power. Trump wants to make unilateral policy and be the sole decision-maker in the country.
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The founders of our current system of governance shared power among three branches of government, giving each the ability to check the other to ensure that power was not concentrated in the hands of a single individual.
Trump is trying to break this system, but beneath the chaos, much of the system has continued to restrain and control this president.
During an interview on ABC on Sunday, Governor JB Pritzker was asked if he was worried about the Trump Justice Department coming after him.
Pritzker responded:
It’s true that the president says things and sometimes he carries out his threats, and he certainly has the power of the presidency. He has no power to circumvent the Constitution.
And so, I… am I afraid? I’m not afraid. Do I think he could do it? He could. But like I said before, come get me.
I mean, you’re completely wrong, Mr. President and Mr. Vice President. And I will defend the law and the Constitution. That’s what we do in the state of Illinois.
Trump does not have the power to override the Constitution, and this is another response from Pritzker about the Insurrection Act that deepens the discussion about the limitations on Trump’s power that you can read below.