From the very beginning of his presidency through today, Trump’s ignorance and indifference concerning the Constitution and the limits it places on the powers of the presidency has made him one of the most dangerous threats to the Constitution in modern history.
Trump isn’t working alone on this threat. Republicans and Democrats in all three branches of government have been working tirelessly for years on a never-ending list of ways to strip us of our God-given rights, particularly when it comes to keeping us “safe.” And when you add the apathy and selfishness of most Americans to the mix, it’s easy to see how the tyrannical assault on liberty has intensified in the Age of Trump.
As bad as it’s been, coronavirus hysteria has given America tyranny on steroids, where government of, for, and by the people has been replaced by a government that no longer derives its powers from the consent of the governed.
In the midst of this reality, it’s quite likely that we are right now — RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE — living in what could easily be the last days of freedom, and the beginning of a full-blown socialist state.
Much of the unconstitutional overreaction to COVID-19 has come to us at the hands of tyrannical governors, mayors, and other “trustees” of the public, so where is the federal government and why isn’t it protecting the Constitution?
Of course, that’s a rhetorical question. They’re nowhere to be found because they either agree with these local government officials or they simply don’t care because there’s an election on the horizon. At least, that appears to the case in Trump’s world based on a tweet he sent out yesterday.
Facing a drop in his poll numbers, due, in part, to his campaign speeches disguised as coronavirus updates, Trump gave us another example as to why he’s a threat to the Constitution when he declared that he is the ultimate authority to “open up the states” and not state governors.
….It is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons. With that being said, the Administration and I are working closely with the Governors, and this will continue. A decision by me, in conjunction with the Governors and input from others, will be made shortly!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 13, 2020
In a news conference held after Trump sent the tweet, one reporter brought up the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution that orders “powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
“When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total, and that’s the way it’s got to be. It’s total, and the governors know that,” Trump said.(emphasis mine)
In reality, Trump has no authority to arbitrarily overrule a governor. “The president can issue reasonable necessary federal-based quarantine orders,” said Elie Honig, a former federal prosecutor in New York. “I don’t see any mechanism or constitutional principle that would apply here that would allow the president to come in and overrule the governors.”
In response to Trump’s claim, Rep. Justin Amash (I-MI) said Trump was “flat-out wrong” and blamed him for creating any “conflict and confusion” that may exist at the moment.
President Trump is flat-out wrong. The president has no authority to “close down” or “open up” the states. He’s the one creating conflict and confusion. Put down the authoritarianism and read the Constitution. https://t.co/3AFqRx7YTX
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) April 13, 2020
In order to defend the Constitution, one would have to actually know and believe in the Constitution. Nearly everyone . . . at every level of government . . . fails to fit the bill in that department anymore.
David Leach is the owner of the Strident Conservative. He holds people of every political stripe accountable and promotes conservative principles over political parties.
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