The Post-Journal
A Presidency With No Limits
Jan 17, 2026
ROLLAND KIDDER
Whether you like our current President or not, one
thing that seems to characterize his actions is that there seems to be no
limits in what he can do.
In a recent two-hour interview with members of the
press, he was asked if there were any limits to his global power. President
Trump said: “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It is the
only thing that can stop me.” His answer did not mention any Constitutional
limitations to his power.
The public now is beginning to understand this as
reflected in the recent “No Kings” demonstrations that sprung up around the
country a few months ago. Kings can do whatever they want to, “the public be
damned.” Americans have generally supported strong Presidents, but they have
always believed that there are limits to executive authority.
We now seem to be in a time when the President can do
whatever he wants to without congressional authority or legal precedent. In a
typical move this past week, Mr. Trump initiated a criminal investigation of
the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank, an institution created to be
independent from the White House.
Yet, likely the most visible exercise of his power has
been the whole idea of imposing tariffs on imported goods. It was introduced
with great fanfare without action of any kind from the Congress.
Now, news releases come from the White House taking
credit for reducing some of the various tariffs that were imposed. Recently, we
were told that there would no longer be a tariff on coffee, furniture, and beef
among other items. People started squawking about inflation, so the White House
slashed tariffs on a few products,
But, what a way to run a government! Merchants, traders
and consumers have no idea what to expect from one day to the next.
The deployment of the National Guard seems to be
another whimsical application of Presidential power. Now, months later, the
Supreme Court, in a rare decision, has declared that the President exceeded his
authority in randomly sending troops into American cities. Could the tide be
turning?
There is a local connection to this whole question, as
our own Supreme Court Justice, Robert H. Jackson, wrote the seminal decision in
1952 limiting Presidential power in the government’s seizure of the steel mills
during the Korean War. President Truman wasn’t happy. Jackson was a Democrat
and a friend. But, the issue went beyond friendship–it dealt with the structure
of our democracy and the constitutional limits of Presidential power.
There is another matter which is particularly irksome
to me. There now seems to be no limit on using the White House as a base for
making money or expanding one’s personal or business fortune. We have seen
everything from meme coins, to crypto businesses, to accepting the gift of a
fancy jumbo jet from a foreign government, to foreign real estate deals–all
coming from the Trump White House.
Whatever happened to the emoluments clause in the U.S.
Constitution? Are there no limits to using the Oval Office for personal &
business dealings?
Enough said. I think when the Trump Presidency has
passed, the country, after reflection, will move to impose more enforceable
limits on the exercise of Presidential power.
