With 17 executive orders issued within his first 10 days in office, President Donald Trump already has won the record for most prolific use of the backdoor presidential power that requires no congressional input. Trump’s executive actions are being spun as a man wasting no time in getting things done, but it’s clear he prefers the go-it-alone method of decision making. His business model, after all, is autocratic, so why should he change it just because he’s president?
He probably was not expecting to be opposed this early in his term, and he probably reasoned that even if challenged, he could weather the storm. But the massive Women’s March on Washington the day after his inauguration served notice that his new way of doing things will be matched by new types of opposition. The Women’s March and the protests against his travel ban against people from Muslim-majority countries, for example sparked protests all over the world and revived a moribund opposition at home.
Leid Stories discusses clues that Trump and his administration are miscalculating their strength and power, and the irony that they are actually fueling global anti-U.S. sentiment.