Donald Trump’s sweeping victory, combined with the Republican control of the Senate and probably of the House of Representatives as well, undoubtedly gives him freedom of movement in the implementation of his policies.
Nevertheless, some early analyses create the false impression that this political/constitutional “planetary alignment” runs counter to the architecture of checks and balances of the US Constitution and tests its limits. There is even talk of an American “Weimar Republic” and the beginning of the end of the Constitutional order in the United States.
I find these observations exaggerated, to say the least. This political condition, the so-called “unified government” is not unprecedented. It has happened 48 times since 1857, 25 times under a Republican administration and 23 under the Democrats. The last time of a unified government was during the first two years of the Biden administration. Some may counter this observation by pointing out that Trump also “controls” the Supreme Court – something Biden did not “control” – making him the absolute, unchallenged dominant player of the US political and Constitutional order.
“There is even talk of an American “Weimar Republic” and the beginning of the end of the Constitutional order in the United States.”
We ought to be very careful when making such observations. It is true that the selection of Supreme Court Justices and their appointment by the President with the consent of the Senate is informed by manifest political considerations. However, once appointed, these justices hold their offices for life. They are not “controlled” and act independently. They do not hope for any favours after their “retirement”, for instance to be appointed to senior positions in Executive Agencies/ QUANGOS or to other political posts, as is the case elsewhere; a prospect which might affect, as a temptation, their judicial judgment. In other words, they do not ‘owe’ anything to the President who appointed them, and the latter has no mechanism to ‘punish’ or put pressure on them.
I therefore consider these alarmist predictions about the rise of a potential dictatorship on the other side of the Atlantic, due to the emergence of a unified government, to be wrong, for two main reasons.
“… alarmism prevents us from delving deeper and understanding the reasons that led to Donald Trump’s historic victory. Understanding these reasons must be a priority for all liberal democracies and requires a calm, dispassionate and objective analysis of all the facts.”
First, President Trump as head of the executive branch will largely control the legislature which is a constitutional norm in other countries like Greece or the UK.
Second and most importantly, alarmism prevents us from delving deeper and understanding the reasons that led to Donald Trump’s historic victory. Understanding these reasons must be a priority for all liberal democracies and requires a calm, dispassionate and objective analysis of all the facts.
[This is the English translation of an article published in the Greek newspaper TA NEA on 08/11/2024. The Greek original can be found below.]
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