Scott Detrow

Is it a political flex or a subversion of the Constitution? From NPR, I'm Scott Detrow.

Is it a political flex or a subversion of the Constitution? From NPR, I'm Scott Detrow.

It's Consider This from NPR. Most presidents want as much power as they can get, and it's not unusual to see them claim authority that they don't in the end actually have. We saw it over the last term when former President Joe Biden tried to unilaterally forgive hundreds of billions of dollars in federal student loans.

It's Consider This from NPR. Most presidents want as much power as they can get, and it's not unusual to see them claim authority that they don't in the end actually have. We saw it over the last term when former President Joe Biden tried to unilaterally forgive hundreds of billions of dollars in federal student loans.

It's Consider This from NPR. Most presidents want as much power as they can get, and it's not unusual to see them claim authority that they don't in the end actually have. We saw it over the last term when former President Joe Biden tried to unilaterally forgive hundreds of billions of dollars in federal student loans.

Or when Biden announced days before leaving office that the 28th Amendment on gender equality was now the law of the land, which is, of course, not how it works. So are the opening moves of the Trump presidency just a spicier version of the standard playbook or an imminent threat to constitutional government as we know it?

Or when Biden announced days before leaving office that the 28th Amendment on gender equality was now the law of the land, which is, of course, not how it works. So are the opening moves of the Trump presidency just a spicier version of the standard playbook or an imminent threat to constitutional government as we know it?

Or when Biden announced days before leaving office that the 28th Amendment on gender equality was now the law of the land, which is, of course, not how it works. So are the opening moves of the Trump presidency just a spicier version of the standard playbook or an imminent threat to constitutional government as we know it?

We're going to get two different points of view on that now, one from Ronald Prusin, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Toronto, and also Kenneth Lewandy, a political scientist at the University of Michigan. He's also the author of the book, False Front, The Failed Promise of Presidential Power in a Polarized Age. Welcome to both of you. Thank you. Let's start with you, Ronald.

We're going to get two different points of view on that now, one from Ronald Prusin, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Toronto, and also Kenneth Lewandy, a political scientist at the University of Michigan. He's also the author of the book, False Front, The Failed Promise of Presidential Power in a Polarized Age. Welcome to both of you. Thank you. Let's start with you, Ronald.

We're going to get two different points of view on that now, one from Ronald Prusin, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Toronto, and also Kenneth Lewandy, a political scientist at the University of Michigan. He's also the author of the book, False Front, The Failed Promise of Presidential Power in a Polarized Age. Welcome to both of you. Thank you. Let's start with you, Ronald.

Critics of Trump are sounding all kinds of alarms about the way that he's used executive power. Supporters, again, as we've heard, say this is just what presidents do. Actually, Kenneth, let me start with you. What do you think about that?

Critics of Trump are sounding all kinds of alarms about the way that he's used executive power. Supporters, again, as we've heard, say this is just what presidents do. Actually, Kenneth, let me start with you. What do you think about that?

Critics of Trump are sounding all kinds of alarms about the way that he's used executive power. Supporters, again, as we've heard, say this is just what presidents do. Actually, Kenneth, let me start with you. What do you think about that?

Kenneth, you said in an interview that the Trump administration, the White House, is almost like an eye of Sauron, and it can focus on some parts of the globe. But they're missing hobbits, you know, elsewhere and can only really focus in on one part at a time. It's a big federal government.

Kenneth, you said in an interview that the Trump administration, the White House, is almost like an eye of Sauron, and it can focus on some parts of the globe. But they're missing hobbits, you know, elsewhere and can only really focus in on one part at a time. It's a big federal government.

Kenneth, you said in an interview that the Trump administration, the White House, is almost like an eye of Sauron, and it can focus on some parts of the globe. But they're missing hobbits, you know, elsewhere and can only really focus in on one part at a time. It's a big federal government.

There's a lot of hobbits and, you know, sure, elves and dwarves or whatever else, Middle Earth people you want to put there in this analogy. Do you think, again, a few weeks in, do you think that that idea holds up, that a president can really zone in on one or few areas at a time and can't put a massive immediate fingerprint across the federal government?

There's a lot of hobbits and, you know, sure, elves and dwarves or whatever else, Middle Earth people you want to put there in this analogy. Do you think, again, a few weeks in, do you think that that idea holds up, that a president can really zone in on one or few areas at a time and can't put a massive immediate fingerprint across the federal government?

There's a lot of hobbits and, you know, sure, elves and dwarves or whatever else, Middle Earth people you want to put there in this analogy. Do you think, again, a few weeks in, do you think that that idea holds up, that a president can really zone in on one or few areas at a time and can't put a massive immediate fingerprint across the federal government?