To understand Trump’s second presidency, it is essential to recognize that Donald Trump does not work alone.
The self-created myth the president upholds is that he is a strong man. Trump sold his supporters for years that only he could make everything right, but the source of his power does not come from what he seized or did.
The key to Trump’s power is that President Mike Johnson has endowed the president with the power of an equal branch of government.
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The House has essentially been shut down by President Johnson and transformed into a body that sits sparingly and does even less. In 2025, the House sat for 87 days and passed 46 bills. Not 46 major pieces of legislation, but 46 pieces of legislation in total.
In the first year of Joe Biden’s presidency, the House passed 85 bills and 1,234 laws.
Mike Johnson says the House does oversight work and members work in their districts, but House Republicans are increasingly using discharge petitions to get around Johnson’s reluctance to have the House majority serve as anything other than a rubber stamp for Trump.
By this time next year, the House could once again play a check on the presidency if Democrats win back the majority.
On ABC’s This Week, former Speaker Pelosi discussed the state of the House and what the main goal of a potential Democratic majority should be.
Pelosi was asked by ABC’s Jon Karl about blocking Trump and she responded:
Of course, they have the power of the purse. We have the power of the purse. He can’t – but right now the Republicans and Congress have abolished Congress. They are simply doing what the president insists they do. It will be over.
Learn more and watch the video below.