The Lawless President Centralizes His Power

Prior to last November's election, there was public discussion of whether Trump was a fascist.

- FRANCIS FUKUYAMA

I thought at the time that this charge was exaggerated; there's no clear definition of fascism, and comparisons of Trump and Hitler seemed very overdrawn. Well, Trump was inaugurated on January 20, and while he may not be a fascist, he is certainly an authoritarian. Authoritarian leaders do not want to be constrained by checks and balances or by international norms, and are willing to defy the law in order to get their way. Trump has already done this in countless ways.

Since January 20, the White House has issued dozens of executive orders reshaping the U.S. government. Many of these are plainly illegal and/or unconstitutional. Let's begin with the role that billionaire Elon Musk has been given by the president. The U.S. Constitution says that only Congress has the authority to spend money and create federal agencies to manage policy. Trump has empowered Musk, a private citizen, to lead something called the "Department of Government Efficiency," or DOGE, which as we speak is going over the federal budget and marking items for elimination.