Trumps first 100 days have pushed the limits of presidential power to new levels

Summary

Summary of NPR’s "Consider This" Episode: "Trump's First 100 Days Have Pushed the Limits of Presidential Power to New Levels"

Release Date: April 30, 2025

In this episode of NPR's "Consider This," host Juana Summers delves into the unprecedented actions taken by President Donald Trump during his first 100 days in office. The discussion centers on how Trump's approach has redefined the boundaries of presidential power, challenging the traditional balance among the three branches of the U.S. government.

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1. Introduction: A Tectonic Shift in Governance [00:00]

Juana Summers opens the episode by highlighting the significant changes President Trump has enacted in his initial days. Contrary to expectations, Trump has signed only five bills into law, marking the fewest bill signings to start a presidency in seven decades, as reported by Time magazine.

2. Executive Orders: The President’s Primary Tool [00:29]

Instead of relying on congressional legislation, Trump has predominantly used executive orders to implement his agenda. At a Michigan rally, he enumerated several of these orders:

Donald Trump [00:29]: "Last month, I signed a historic executive order to begin... abolish critical race theory... make English the official language of the United States."

These actions signify Trump's preference for unilateral decision-making, bypassing the legislative process.

3. Expanding Executive Power Beyond Tradition [00:45]

Juana Summers discusses how Trump's use of executive orders extends beyond typical presidential actions. Notably, Trump has reduced funding appropriated by Congress, a move criticized by Democratic Senator Patty Murray as unconstitutional.

Patty Murray [01:01]: "The president signs it into law. He cannot then break that law and say, well, I like this part, but not this part. That's called impoundment, and it is illegal."

This assertion underscores the tension between executive actions and legislative authority.

4. Clashing with the Judiciary: The Garcia Case [01:15]

The episode recounts an incident involving Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an immigrant mistakenly deported to a Salvadoran prison. Despite admitting the error, the Trump administration faced a Supreme Court-affirmed federal judge's order to facilitate Garcia's return.

During an ABC interview, Trump appeared to acknowledge defiance of the court order:

Donald Trump [01:54]: "I could... call up the president of El Salvador and say, send him back right now."

This exchange illustrates the administration's resistance to judicial oversight.

5. Experts Weigh In: Threats to the System of Checks and Balances [04:02]

NPR political correspondents Mara Liasson and Susan Davis join Juana Summers to analyze the implications of Trump's actions.

a. Mara Liasson on Government Structure [04:13]

Mara Liasson [04:13]: "What's at stake is our system of government... we might end up with a system that has a vastly empowered executive and a kind of withered judicial and legislative branches."

Liasson emphasizes the foundational principle of distributed power among the branches of government and the potential erosion of this balance.

b. Susan Davis on Congressional Ceding of Power [05:15]

Susan Davis [05:15]: "...Trump is not the first president to make law... But Trump is certainly acting as an accelerant on this practice."

Davis highlights the trend of Congress delegating authority to the executive branch, exacerbated by Trump's aggressive use of executive orders.

c. Political Calculations and Congressional Support [08:03]

With Republicans holding a narrow majority in the House, Speaker Mike Johnson expresses unwavering support for Trump's initiatives:

Mike Johnson [05:47]: "I think they're doing right by the American taxpayer, and we support that principle."

However, this alignment may be influenced by the looming midterm elections, with scholars like Kevin Kosar noting Republican lawmakers' strategic compliance to maximize legislative gains within a limited timeframe.

6. Public Reaction and Approval [09:59]

Mara Liasson discusses public sentiment towards Trump's consolidation of power:

Mara Liasson [09:59]: "Do they like the changes that Trump is making in terms of expanding executive power? Our latest NPR poll... his approval rating is only 39% and 45% of people gave Donald Trump an F for his first 100 days in office."

These figures suggest a divided public opinion, with significant portions disapproving of his governance approach.

7. Future Implications: A Test for American Governance [09:35]

The episode concludes by pondering the long-term effects of Trump's actions:

Mara Liasson [09:59]: "What comes next is does Donald Trump defy a judicial order and then what does the judicial branch of government do since it has no power to enforce that order?"

Liasson raises critical questions about the resilience of the American political system and the potential for an imbalanced distribution of power.

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Conclusion

NPR's "Consider This" episode meticulously examines President Trump's first 100 days, illustrating a significant shift towards executive authority at the expense of legislative and judicial branches. Through expert insights and real-world examples, the discussion underscores the fragility of the system of checks and balances, raising concerns about the future trajectory of U.S. governance.

Transcript

[Juana Summers]

The first 100 days of President Trump's term have at times felt like a tectonic shift in American government. So it might surprise you that so far Trump has only signed five bills from Congress into law, the fewest to start a presidential administration in seven decades. That's according to an analysis by Time magazine. Trump has instead governed largely by unilateral executive action and left lawmakers on the sidelines. He listed some of those actions at a rally in Michigan on Tuesday.

[Donald Trump]

Last month, I signed a historic executive order order to begin the I signed executive orders to abolish critical race theory in order that will lend automatic citizenship. I also signed an order to require and I signed an order making English the official language of the United States.

[Juana Summers]

Executive orders are not new, but Trump has pushed the limits of his power further than any modern president. He's slashed money appropriated by Congress, a move Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington attacked as unconstitutional in an NPR interview earlier this year.

[Patty Murray]

We pass it with Democrats and Republicans, Republicans in the House and Senate. The president signs it into law. He cannot then break that law and say, well, I like this part, but not this part. That's called impoundment, and it is illegal.

[Juana Summers]

And his administration has resisted court orders saying they infringe on the president's constitutional authority. On Tuesday, Trump was asked in an ABC interview about Kilmar Abrego Garcia. He's an immigrant who the Trump administration deported to a Salvadoran prison by mistake, a mistake they have admitted. The Supreme Court has affirmed a federal judge's order that the Trump administration facilitate Abrego Garcia's return from El Salvador. ABC correspondent Terry Moran pressed Trump on that point. And depending how you define facilitate, Trump seemed to admit he was defying the order.

[Terry Moran]

You could get him back. There's a phone on his desk.

[Donald Trump]

I could.

[Terry Moran]

You could pick it up and all the power of the presidency. You could call up the president of El Salvador and say, send him back right now.

[Donald Trump]

And if he were the gentleman that you say he is, I would do that.

[Terry Moran]

But the court.

[Juana Summers]

Consider this. In his first 100 days, Trump's actions have challenged what are supposed to be co equal branches of government. How have they responded? From npr, I'm Juana Summers.

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[Juana Summers]

It's consider this from NPR. President Trump is pushing the boundaries of executive power in nearly every area of policy, from his trade war to immigration to education to the federal workforce. Many of Trump's actions are a direct challenge to the courts and to Congress, the two branches of government designed to act as checks on the president. NPR political correspondents Mara Liasson and Susan Davis have been covering this power dynamic. They join me now. Hi to both of you.

[Mara Liasson]

Hi there.

[Juana Summers]

Mara, if you could kick us off, I want, I want to start here with just a very basic question. What is at stake with this push from President Trump and his allies to consolidate power within the executive branch?

[Mara Liasson]

What's at stake is our system of government. You know, the founders designed a system with three co equal branches. They believed in broadly distributed power, what we call checks and balances. They knew that they couldn't stop someone from being elected who they would have said had monarchical tendencies. They wouldn't have said authoritarian. But they did think that this broadly distributed power system could stop that person from doing a lot of damage if he was elected. But now we're going to have a test of that, because the judiciary, which is one of the co equal branches, cannot enforce its ruling. It depends on willing acceptance of its role as a co equal branch of government by the executive. And we are now in the midst of a kind of rolling escalation of confrontation between the executive and the judicial branch. And depending on how it comes out, we might end up with a system that has a vastly empowered executive and a kind of withered judicial and legislative branches.

[Juana Summers]

Sue over to you. When Congress is controlled by the same party as the White House as it is now, there's not generally much pushback on the president. So tell us what's different about this moment. Right.

[Susan Davis]

Like part of this isn't a new story. Congress over many decades has been ceding power to the executives. Some scholars would argue that dates back as far as the New Deal. But no president has gone as far as Donald Trump to intrude on Congress's constitutional power to decide how taxpayer dollars are spent. This Elon Musk led effort to cut spending has effectively shuttered agencies and institutions funded by Congress. And Republican lawmakers have, by and large, just gotten out of their way. This is Speaker Mike Johnson back in February saying he supported what the president was doing.

[Mike Johnson]

It looks radical. It's not. I call it stewardship. I think they're doing right by the American taxpayer, and we support that principle.

[Susan Davis]

The speaker did acknowledge that a lot of these actions are going to be challenged in the courts, and they'll have to respect that.

[Juana Summers]

I'll just note, though, it's not just Doge. The president is also trying to effectively legislate from the Oval Office through executive orders on practically everything from immigration to election law.

[Susan Davis]

Right. Like consider that in his first 100 days, Trump has issued around 139 executive actions. That's almost as much Hana as former President Biden issued in his entire four years in office. In that same 100 day time period, Congress has only passed five laws. It's the lowest number in decades. But again, Trump is not the first president to make law. Recall, former President Biden tried to do the same thing with his student loan forgiveness program that was struck down by the Supreme Court. But Trump is certainly acting as an accelerant on this practice.

[Juana Summers]

Well, Mara, if Republicans control the White House and Congress, why doesn't Trump just try to propose and pass legislation, which is the way. As a former congressional reporter, the system was intended to work.

[Mara Liasson]

It was intended to work that way. But if you have an extremely small majority, as the Republicans do, that means you have to compromise, and that's hard. And when past presidents tried to do very big lifts and big, ambitious pieces of legislation, they had bigger majorities. But also not passing a lot of things through legislation goes with the president. Trump's concept of executive power. He is the EO President, not the legislative president, and he gravitates towards things like immigration and foreign policy and trade, which were areas where presidents have a pretty free hand. They don't need the judicial branch or the executive branch to do what they want to do. But the other thing about executive orders is they are not permanent. What executive orders giveth, the executive orders of the next president can taketh away.

[Susan Davis]

And I also think Trump has benefited from a reality in which Congress has been incapable for years of passing legislation to solve Tough issues. I think immigration is probably the best example of that. Former President Reagan was the last president to sign comprehensive immigration bill into law. So when Congress is this dysfunctional, it just creates an opportunity for the President to act on those issues.

[Juana Summers]

I got to ask about the politics here. Republicans control the House by just a narrow two seat margin, which I imagine must factor into the calculations on Capitol Hill.

[Susan Davis]

Always. I mean, the party in the White House almost always loses seats in the midterms. And I talked to Kevin Kosar about this. He's a congressional scholar with the right leaning American Enterprise Institute. And he spoke to what I think is a pretty commonly held view here in D.C. that Republicans are likely operating within a two year window.

[Kevin Kosar]

The amount of deference that legislators are showing is to some degree like we just have to do this to see if we can rack up as many wins as possible because those midterms are probably not going to go our way.

[Susan Davis]

The majority largely rises or falls on the popularity of the President. So there's really no ability for Republicans here to create any daylight with Trump. So they just have to go all in.

[Juana Summers]

Mara, was any of this a surprise to voters who voted for Trump based on promises to make exactly the kind of changes we are seeing him make right now?

[Mara Liasson]

Well, I think that to some people it has been a surprise. Remember, voters were tired of a broken, gridlocked Congress. That's part of why Trump got elected. He was the change candidate. Voters wanted change. We're going to find out soon whether all these things were the kind of change they expected. But I think, I think what sue was talking about, Congress abdicating its role is so important here. This is a voluntary giving up of their constitutional responsibilities. And remember, Article 1 is about the legislative branch. The founders decided to put them first.

[Susan Davis]

And look, this is consequential to how this country works. Congress was designed by the founders to be the branch that was most closely in touch with the people and best serves this ideal of self governance. I spoke to Professor Joseph Postel at Hillsdale College and he spoke to the urgency of it.

[Mike Johnson]

Regardless of who the President is and regardless of which party controls Congress, I see the decline of a Congress that legislates as a serious constitutional crisis.

[Susan Davis]

Because look, arguably if you shift more power to the executive, you have a government that is less reflective of the will of the people.

[Juana Summers]

Mara, you said that this is a test for really the entire system of American government. So help us understand what might come next.

[Mara Liasson]

Well, what comes next is does Donald Trump defy a judicial order and then what does the judicial branch of government do since it has no power to enforce that order? The other thing that comes next is what does the public think about all this? Do they like the changes that Trump is making in terms of expanding executive power? Our latest NPR poll, NPR Maris PBS poll showed that his approval rating is only 39% and 45% of people gave Donald Trump an F for his first 100 days in office.

[Juana Summers]

That is NPR's Mara Liasson and Susan Davis. Thanks to both of you.

[Susan Davis]

You're welcome.

[Mara Liasson]

You're welcome.

[Juana Summers]

This episode was produced by Connor Donovan. It was edited by Kelsey Snell and Jeanette Woods. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. It's Consider this from npr. I'm Juana Summers.

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