President Donald Trump famously told his followers that he’d be a “dictator on day one” of a second presidency, a claim that his supporters characterized as figurative speech to describe how he was going to pursue his agenda strongly and unilaterally if necessary.
Nearly a month into his presidency, constitutional checks on Trump still hold, though of the three branches of government only the courts have so far — and mildly — challenged his unprecedented efforts to reshape the federal government since his second inauguration.
(There are numerous legal challenges to Trump’s employing billionaire Elon Musk to eradicate initiatives, cut employees, and “delete” entire agencies with a carte blanche that Trump says he’s been granted by the voters.)
Over the weekend, Trump again trolled critics who fear he has usurped power that belongs to the legislative branch and to the 50% of American voters who voted for someone other than the President.
Trump wrote, in a paraphrase of the French dictator Napoleon: “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.”
Engraving on the exterior of the United States Department of Justice headquarters.
— Adam Bonin (@adambonin.bsky.social) February 15, 2025 at 3:43 PM
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Trump supporters reacted favorably to this autocratic claim, having been convinced the country needs saving. But detractors heard in Trump’s words rhetoric that sounded alarmingly like the declaration of a budding monarch.
In reaction, many shared the mantra carved into the stone facade of the Department of Justice building, which reads: “Where Law Ends Tyranny Begins.”
Engraving on the exterior of the United States Department of Justice headquarters.
— Adam Bonin (@adambonin.bsky.social) February 15, 2025 at 3:43 PM
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Trump struck those nerves again today with a post celebrating his effort to end New York City’s recently established congestion pricing program — and appearing, in the process, to refer to himself as “King.”
As Trump moved to revoke federal approval for the program — a project led by Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul — Trump gloated in a post on his TruthSocial network, writing: “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”
Again, supporters find in “king” — as used here — simply a colloquial phrase used in common braggadocio, while detractors see Trump’s phrasing as a nearly literal proclamation — a reaction the President surely intended to provoke. (Whether to take Trump literally or seriously has been a dilemma for a decade.)
Notably, as is often the case with Trump, there is ambiguity in the message: it could be that he is calling Manhattan, not himself, “king” — in the sense that it is one of the great cities of the world.
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