Susan Davis

And you can see Trump testing these boundaries by his administration's effort to shutter the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, for instance, as well as the stop work orders, the firings or attempted firings at independent agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Election Commission.

I also spoke with Tara Malloy. She's a lawyer at the Campaign Legal Center, another election watchdog group. And she noted the February 18th executive order calling for the president to have, quote, supervision and control of the entire executive branch. She called that point blank a power grab. Her focus was on the attempt to control the FEC, which oversees campaign finance laws.

I also spoke with Tara Malloy. She's a lawyer at the Campaign Legal Center, another election watchdog group. And she noted the February 18th executive order calling for the president to have, quote, supervision and control of the entire executive branch. She called that point blank a power grab. Her focus was on the attempt to control the FEC, which oversees campaign finance laws.

I also spoke with Tara Malloy. She's a lawyer at the Campaign Legal Center, another election watchdog group. And she noted the February 18th executive order calling for the president to have, quote, supervision and control of the entire executive branch. She called that point blank a power grab. Her focus was on the attempt to control the FEC, which oversees campaign finance laws.

And look, she made this point that it can't both be a neutral arbiter of campaign laws. and report directly to the president, one of the candidates on the ballot.

And look, she made this point that it can't both be a neutral arbiter of campaign laws. and report directly to the president, one of the candidates on the ballot.

And look, she made this point that it can't both be a neutral arbiter of campaign laws. and report directly to the president, one of the candidates on the ballot.

Look, there's a lot of political contradictions here. I would note that Trump campaigned very loudly on this idea that the president should exert more power over the government. And he won fair and square. So these actions shouldn't really come as a surprise to the country. But you're right. There isn't a ton of evidence that the country is clamoring to have this all-powerful executive.

Look, there's a lot of political contradictions here. I would note that Trump campaigned very loudly on this idea that the president should exert more power over the government. And he won fair and square. So these actions shouldn't really come as a surprise to the country. But you're right. There isn't a ton of evidence that the country is clamoring to have this all-powerful executive.

Look, there's a lot of political contradictions here. I would note that Trump campaigned very loudly on this idea that the president should exert more power over the government. And he won fair and square. So these actions shouldn't really come as a surprise to the country. But you're right. There isn't a ton of evidence that the country is clamoring to have this all-powerful executive.

Taken to its extreme, it would usher in an era of little or no independent checks on the president with fewer or no watchdogs and more politicized agencies. Now, proponents of this would say, look, accountability would still exist. It would exist in the court of public opinion.

Taken to its extreme, it would usher in an era of little or no independent checks on the president with fewer or no watchdogs and more politicized agencies. Now, proponents of this would say, look, accountability would still exist. It would exist in the court of public opinion.

Taken to its extreme, it would usher in an era of little or no independent checks on the president with fewer or no watchdogs and more politicized agencies. Now, proponents of this would say, look, accountability would still exist. It would exist in the court of public opinion.

Presidents are still held accountable in elections by voters and also in the constitutional checks on power afforded Congress. Congress has the authority to pass laws to rein in the presidency or the ultimate power of impeachment to remove a president. But But Elsa, as we're also living this in real time, public opinion doesn't matter as much in a second term.

Presidents are still held accountable in elections by voters and also in the constitutional checks on power afforded Congress. Congress has the authority to pass laws to rein in the presidency or the ultimate power of impeachment to remove a president. But But Elsa, as we're also living this in real time, public opinion doesn't matter as much in a second term.

Presidents are still held accountable in elections by voters and also in the constitutional checks on power afforded Congress. Congress has the authority to pass laws to rein in the presidency or the ultimate power of impeachment to remove a president. But But Elsa, as we're also living this in real time, public opinion doesn't matter as much in a second term.

And Congress, particularly when controlled by the same party, demonstrates little interest in checking their president.

And Congress, particularly when controlled by the same party, demonstrates little interest in checking their president.

And Congress, particularly when controlled by the same party, demonstrates little interest in checking their president.

You know, for Republicans, that would have been like choosing the path of most resistance. Passing all 12 of those bills usually requires an incredible amount of party unity and would also have likely required bipartisan negotiations with Democrats. Republicans aren't all that interested in that path right now.