The Imperial Presidency Comes to a Sudden Halt
President Donald Trump has sometimes used the executive powers of the American presidency with ruthless aplomb. In an administration not conspicuously adept at working the machinery of government, he has effectively circumvented it. He has moved money appropriated by Congress to unauthorized purposes, paid no heed to proscriptions against emoluments, peopled the government with acting department heads unconfirmed by the Senate. He has revealed how many perceived constraints on the presidency are normative rather than statutory or constitutional—thereby dramatically increasing the powers of the executive branch.
Yet in the first real crisis to befall his presidency, Trump is utilizing virtually none of the powers of—but the incumbent has suddenly retreated at the worst possible time.
