> " … The executive power of the United States is vested to me as President and, as President, I have a solemn duty that the laws of the United States are faithfully enacted,” the president wrote in the letter to Cook.
Be. Executed. Be faithfully executed. That's why the president is the chief executive, not the chief enactor.
Not exactly the constitutional scholar Obama was. But, in light of the recent "executive order to make flag-burning a criminal offense", perhaps this is a pertinent and revealing Freudian slip.
Tries to fire. Up to the courts to rule on the legality of this so the Supreme Court can give trump what he wants.
That's not true, at least not really.
The Supreme Court has been ducking the question of the legality of the recent firings by reversing, on the shadow docket, any lower court injunctions that stay the firings. When the cases eventually percolate again on the merits, Roberts and Co. may well find that it is illegal for the president to fire so-and-so... right as the administration changes parties.
Sure, it's nakedly transparent. And yes, it amounts to setting the rule-of-law on fire while plugging your ears and repeating “I know you are but what am I.” But dang if it isn't brazenly effective politicking.
It's only effective if your country doesn't go down in flames while you do it.
Tries to fire, but he doesn’t have the legal authority to fire
You are very much right.
But Trump tried to fire Gwynne Wilcox of the National Labor Relations Board and the Supreme Court killed her case in the shadow docket.
https://www.steptoe.com/en/news-publications/the-fed-can-sta...
Trump has what, 3 and a bit years as POTUS?
All this power grabbing is setting himself up for what? In 3.5 years he is out the door and an election will be held with presumably Vance as the POTUS nom.
If you play the tape out and, as expected, the GOP is massacred at mid-terms, and Dems get in their pick in at the next election I would expect all this to be undone.
What is the point?
And I reject any argument that Trump will take the POTUS position for a third term. It won't happen.
Are you sure about that ?
Because if history is any indication, he's on a straight path every single dictator and strongman walked before becoming one. He has set on fire every single US institution and the rule of law. He is the law now.
It doesn't end well. Maybe it won't be him, but his son, who knows. But there is no good outcome out of it. Zero. He's not loosing another election.
Trump occasionally speaks wise words. People DO love dictators- at least until they go cuckoo and start wars and have public executions.
SOME people like the idealized concept of a dictator. Those people are fools.
> And I reject any argument that Trump will take the POTUS position for a third term. It won't happen.
You're naive if you say it absolutely won't happen.
This scenario has played out again and again throughout history when dictators install themselves, existing rules and legality be damned.
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