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In less than 100 days, Donald Trump’s second term has proved the . Using , he has moved quickly on his far-reaching agenda to consolidate his power.
Trump has actually than any new president for seven decades. But he has signed 124 (which don’t need congressional approval). Joe Biden signed 162 of these over his whole term.
Executive orders are a way of pushing , usually based on existing statutory powers, without it going to a vote. So far, these have covered issues from energy policy to TikTok’s ownership.
Using this tactic, Trump has stretched his authority far more in just a few months than any recent president.
While the president may issue executive orders, he cannot create laws without the support of Congress. This has led, in part, to the launch of lawsuits regarding the statutory basis of some of these orders. Some are now going through the on constitutional and lawfulness grounds.
But the Supreme Court can also review and overturn executive orders that lack legal authority. These orders cannot contradict or supersede existing laws passed by Congress, or violate the US constitution.
A system of checks and balances that prevents US presidents from becoming too powerful is facilitated by the “separation of powers”, which is written into the . The legislative (members of Congress), executive (president) and judiciary (the courts) are all – in part to prevent an over-concentration of power in any one body or person.
Bills passed by presidents in first 85 days
The has a key supervisory role through its two chambers, the and the , which work together to pass laws. But there are many reasons why this president may not be that concerned by these constitutional safeguards.
The Democratic opposition is in an exceptionally weak position to take on Trump. It is in the minority in both the Senate and House of Representatives, and is routinely outvoted by the Republicans.
And Trump is often dismissive of congressional oversight. House committees have previously launched into his conduct, business dealings, and whether he has financially benefited while serving as president. Congress also issued subpoenas for , but Trump often .
and can, in theory, deny funds for presidential initi