The Presidency

President Trump's governance style has heightened long-standing concerns that presidents have been asserting more power, through executive orders and other means, than the Constitution intended. For instance, no president has asked Congress for a declaration of war since World War II even though the Constitution reserves war-making power to the legislative branch. Some historians date the growth of presidential control to the New Deal-era expansion of the federal government, and others to the end of the Cold War and a decline of foreign policy expertise in Congress. Critics of Trump, pointing to his mounting executive orders and criticism of the justice system, worry that the American system of checks and balances could be in peril. Others see Trump's overturning of standing policies as the inevitable result of rising presidential power under both Republicans and Democrats. Trump's supporters say he is doing exactly what he was elected to do: disrupt Washington's traditions. Whether future presidents will follow Trump's example remains an open question.