Editor:
In late 2023, candidate Trump said he would be a dictator, but only for one day. Now after 80 days, President Trump’s behavior is still autocratic (NCJ Daily, April 10).
Executive orders (EOs) give presidents authority to act within their purview if the actions don’t conflict with the U.S. Constitution. Trump signed 26 EOs on his inauguration day, including some questionable ones designating cartels as “foreign terrorist” organizations, eliminating birthright citizenship and establishing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Trump has signed at least 124 EOs so far, a record.
Trump’s actions to seek and deport “foreign terrorists” began almost immediately. Individuals have been sent directly to prisons in El Salvador without their legal right to a hearing. When a mistake was uncovered, the administration dragged its feet getting the prisoner returned.
Congress allows a president to impose tariffs themself during sudden national emergencies, so Trump declared an economic emergency so he could do so. However, his action was borderline because the so-called trade balance emergency was ongoing, not sudden.
Candidate Trump promised there would be retribution, so as president he has taken unwarranted actions against many he perceives as unfaithful.
Ironically, I think Adolf Hitler’s words could inspire a title for a book about Trump’s autocratic administration. Hitler initially titled Mein Kampf (My Struggles) as Four and a Half Years of Struggle Against Lies, Stupidity and Cowardice. A simple change to Our Four Years of Struggle against Lies, Stupidity, and Cowardice should do the trick where cowardice represents GOP Congressional inaction.
Sherman Schapiro, Eureka
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This article appears in Portrait of a Prairie.
Well Said Indeed! I do agree with you about the American/very Unamerican congressional cowardice!! However, I would state the hypothesis that the congressional cowardice has been mostly bipartisan, also including cowardly Independent Congresspeople like Bernie Sanders and Angus King to name a few!!