Trump has broken his oath of office. The oath of the President says;”I do solemnly swear ( or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of the President of the United States, and to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”Every time Trump takes an action that conflicts with the written word of the Constitution, he has broken his oath. Every time he misquotes or makes up a lie about what the Constitution says, he has broken his oath. For example, Article II does not mean “I can do whatever I want.” When he made that statement, members of both parties bristled with fear. Did the President of the United States just announce he had the powers of a dictator? The Founders gave specific powers to the legislative branch and certain powers to the judicial branch. The designation of those powers to the other co-equal branches of government means the President DOES NOT HAVE ABSOLUTE POWER OVER THE GOVERNING OF THE COUNTRY.Trump’s inability to understand how our government works should gravely concern every American. How can a President succeed at preserving our democracy if they do not understand the document that defines it?DO TRUMP LOYALISTS SUPPORT THE TRANSFORMATION OF OUR DEMOCRACY INTO A DICTATORSHIP OR MONARCHY?
Article II clearly states the powers given to the President, which are;
- Serve as the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.
- Commission officers of the armed forces
- Grant reprieves and pardons for commissioned officers ( except in impeachment)
- Convene Congress in special sessions
- Receive Ambassadors
- Take care that the laws be faithfully executed
- Wield the “executive power.”
- Appoint Cabinet officials, White House Staff and Supreme Court Justices
The powers given to the President in the Constitution do not provide wiggle room for him to bestow additional powers to the Presidency because he wants those powers for his own personal or political gain. The Founders expected the Constitution to be understood, respected, and accepted by the President. Without full acceptance and commitment to the content in the document, how can the right actions be taken to preserve, protect, and defend it? Then there are the complicit actions of the AG William Barr.TRUMP HIRED WILLIAM BARR TO BE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL BECAUSE BARR LET HIM KNOW IN A MEMO BEFORE BEING OFFERED THE JOB, THAT HE BELIEVED ABSOLUTE POWER SHOULD BE BESTOWED ON THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. Many attorneys and constitutional scholars have questioned whether Barr should be removed from office due to the biased way in which he is representing the President and not the people. His philosophy aligned with Trump’s malignant narcissism and goal of autocracy, and Barr secured the job and has abused the office since taking the oath.Trump has taken many actions that demonstrate his hunger for absolute power is more potent than his commitment to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. There are countless actions Trump has taken to pursue ultimate power that are being challenged in the courts regarding;
- The Foreign and Domestic Emoluments Clauses
- Executive Orders on Immigration
- The dismantling of the administrative state (reasonable unconstitutional deregulatory policies)
- Obstruction of justice charges as outlined in the Mueller Report, the scope of
- The scope of the pardon power
- His use of Twitter and the First Amendment
Trump and the Republicans falsely claim these challenges to the President’s actions are simply about a vendetta because he won the election. However, that argument is weak. Judges have agreed to hear many of these cases on their merit, and many of the cases have lost on appeal or are advancing through the courts. No matter what the outcome of these cases, the pattern of Trump’s attempt to abuse his powers and re-invent what the Constitution defines as presidential authority indicates a disrespect for the document. The goal in his behaviors suggests a desire to be the king or dictator of a country without restraint on or challenge towards its leader.The COVID-19 epidemic has also exposed Trump’s misunderstanding of the laws put forth in the Constitution regarding the power of the presidency. An example of this is the declaration this week that he can order governor’s as to when to re-open their economies. The press immediately pointed out Trump had over-stated his power over the states as granted to him in the Constitution.Amendment X in the Bill of Rights states;”The powers not delegated to the United States of America by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”After making that inaccurate statement, Trump must have been schooled by an advisor that what he said was not correct. The next day, in face-saving Trump fashion, he appeared on television, granting the governors the power to make their own decisions about the re-opening of their state’s economy. Once again, he gave permission for something to occur that does not involve a power that is bestowed on a President.The extent of the power of the Presidency will undoubtedly be debated to a higher degree in the future because this President attempted to ignore laws and garner ultimate authority over a government that is supposed to be a democracy. The fight to defeat Trump is a fight to preserve the Constitution, protect democracy, and bring morality back to the U.S. Presidency.
