in Politics, US History 680 Words

No real power limits?

Last week, four reporters from the New York Times interviewed Trump in the Oval Office. One question and Trump’s answer to it have overshadowed the rest of the interview. In fact, knowing his answer to this question means we don’t need to know his answers to any of the other questions.

A reporter asked Trump, if there were any checks, any limits on his power on the world stage.

Trump answered: “There is one. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me, and that’s a good thing.” A reporter asked a follow-up question: “What about international law?” Trump replied, “I don’t need international law. I’m not looking to hurt people.”

Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash

It is the answer to that first question that has stayed with me all weekend. “My own morality. My own mind.”

Trump has said some chilling and frightening things, but I think this is the most chilling and most frightening.

Here we are.

No one should be that self-assured.

No U.S. President should think or say that the only check or limit on his power is himself – his morality, his mind. A U.S. President should at least reference that the U.S. Constitution limits his power.

This is especially frightening, since Trump has no morals. Not to mention, the state of his mind is very much in question.

This is a man who hold grudges. This is a man who never forgets a slight. This is a man with no sense of humor. This is a man devoid of empathy. This is a man who makes fun of handicapped people. This is a man who calls people from Somalia “garbage.” This is a man who daily calls anyone who differs with him such things as “lunatic” and “low IQ” and “horrible person,” etc.

This is a convicted felon who never spent a minute in jail. This is a man who was found guilty of sexual abuse by a jury of nine people.

This is the man who ordered a mob to the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, to stop the confirmation that he had lost his bid for re-election to the Presidency and then watched it unfold for hours on TV before calling off the people doing his dirty work.

This is the man who pardoned more than 1,500 of the Capitol rioters who viciously participated in his attempted coup. (Now he says the Capitol Police started it!)

This is the man who has access to the U.S. nuclear weapons codes. Think about that, if you dare.

Have you ever known of anyone so completely devoid of morals?

He said only one thing could stop him, and then he named two things – his morality and his mind. They are not synonymous. They are not interchangeable. But his misunderstanding of the semantics is the least of our worries.

There are now 52 U.S. Senators (all 47 Democrats and five Republicans) willing to vote to at least talk about curbing Trump’s war powers in Venezuela. It was refreshing to finally have a majority vote on something positive in the Senate last week, but the flip side is that we have 48 U.S. Senators (all Republicans) who did not even have the guts to vote to have a discussion about it this week and a final vote on the war powers resolution. Not that Trump has ever been reeled in by a Congressional resolution.

If the shoe were on the other foot (i.e., a Democrat president had gone into Venezuela and taken its leader to a prison in the U.S.), the Republicans in the Senate would be up in arms. In their eyes, Trump can do no wrong. At least, that’s the way they vote. They are complicit in everything he does.

As you begin your week, remember the people of Ukraine, Iran, and Venezuela – especially since Trump posted on Truth Social that he is the “acting President of Venezuela.” If he believes that, the Venezuelans need our prayers.

Janet

13 thoughts on “No real power limits?”

  3. We were actually talking about this just last night with friends — though “actually” may not be the right word. When are we not talking about Trump these days?

    What struck me most in your piece is that single answer: his morality, his mind.
    And yet we keep running into the same problem — we don’t seem to have the language for it. Not for the absence of moral restraint, not for what increasingly feels like instability.

    The question that lingers is a simple but heavy one: where does this lead?
    From Europe, it feels deeply unsettling — not just for us, but for the world.

    That so much can be justified under the banner of one man’s “morality” is profoundly troubling. A moral compass that answers only to itself offers little reassurance.

    Thank you for putting into words what many of us are struggling to articulate.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Nobody. I never thought we’d have a U.S. President like this one, and I assumed if we did we would have a U.S. Congress that would take the necessary actions to end his/her time in office. I see no signs of that happening, and it is devastating.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Thank you, Matroos. Trust me… I’m struggling to articulate it, too. I was stunned by Trump’s words. It would be bad enough for a President with a moral compass to say such a thing about the limits of his/her power; however, for a President who is completely devoid of a moral compass, a conscience, or a grain of empathy for anyone to say such a thing is indeed frightening. Now, he threatens to bomb Iran. He’s back on a tear about taking Greenland “whether they like it or not.” He is taking a wrecking ball to NATO, which is probably the best alliance of nations the world has ever seen. We no longer ask ourselves what he might do next. No matter what we imagine, he either goes off in another direction or does something unthinkable… or both! His actions exceed my imagination. He delights in keeping everyone guessing and off balance, and he is a master at it. I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. It encourages me that the people in Europe are listening and watching. I never thought the U.S. would need that kind of moral support due to an attack on us from our own President. This past year makes Trump’s first four-year term look like child’s play. I always appreciate your perspective and wisdom from where you live. I’m so glad you found my blog and connected with me!

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Bad followers enable bad leadership. That’s what’s happening in Congress. Rather than fulfilling their constitutional duties, they are blindly following the executive branch.

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  10. My computer monitor bit the dust earlier this week, and I’m just now back in business and playing catch-up tonight. Yes, that’s the truth about Congress. I remember the days when the Congress liked to remind the President that they made the laws and were a co-equal branch of government. Ah… the good old days.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Indeed. They have totally given up their constitutional duties. The whole thing is really sad. I’m glad your computer is working well and that you’re back to business.

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