Why Americans should fear lame-duck Donald

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Two hundred fifty years ago, our Founding Fathers signed a world-changing document that began “The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,…”

Later in the second paragraph, it read: “The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.” That was the Founders’ first grievance. In part, the king was preventing colonial legislatures from passing laws for the public good. It topped a list of grievances that made up most of the Declaration.

Interestingly, the “King of Great Britain,” George III, is not named in the Declaration of Independence. But at the time, he was nicknamed “Mad King George” and later known as the “mad king who lost America.”

This year’s 250th anniversary is marked by revolutionary irony. One could argue that President Trump is channeling King George by committing similar “usurpations,” such as impounding money appropriated by Congress and refusing to sign two bipartisan pieces of legislation that serve the public good.

First, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is a key provision that leaders warn jeopardizes national security if not renewed. Second, Trump canceled plans to sign a housing affordability bill addressing the nationwide crisis.

After defeating the world’s greatest military, the Founders adopted the Constitution, which begins “We The People.” It established three equal branches of government with checks and guardrails to prevent future elected presidents from usurping power if they exhibit mad-king-like behavior.

One notable guardrail is the midterm elections, when the electorate can vote to remove the president’s party from control of Congress. New legislators and senators can then rein in the chief executive by defunding programs, blocking actions, and voicing discontent with unpopular wars initiated by the president, as dramatically unfolded this week. At its most extreme, Congress can remove the president through impeachment by the House and conviction in the Senate.

But after the midterm election, a twice-elected incumbent president becomes a “lame duck.” By law, his name will never again appear at the top of a national ballot. Given Trump’s record of nontraditional, unorthodox behavior, “We The People” can expect him to defy that denigrating label, which embodies his greatest fears: weakness and dwindling power. Now watch the president’s controversial pre-midterm meddling as lame-duck Donald poses a unique set of dangers nationally and globally.

Whereas Trump exhibits no filter in his actions and a messianic mindset, The Hill has reported that he “insisted there are ‘no limits” to his power … in a new interview about his takeaways from the Iran war.”

In the past, if an incumbent president claimed there were “no limits” to his power, it would have prompted hearings on Capitol Hill. Elected leaders would have asked him to clarify that statement in relation to the legislative and judicial branches, which are constitutionally empowered to check and balance the executive branch. With Trump, there was no visible pushback from the other two branches.

Trump’s belief that there are no limits to presidential power aligns with his January statement, that there was “one thing” limiting his global powers: “My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.’”

Tellingly, a new book reports that Trump believes his power exceeds that of history’s worst tyrants. “We The People” therefore ought to beware.

After the midterms, if Republicans lose control of the House, Senate, or both, Trump, as the face of the Republican Party, is likely to lash out and seek scapegoats. We can expect legal challenges to “rigged” elections and further campaigns of retribution against his enemies. Perhaps Trump will find or manufacture an excuse to deploy the military domestically by declaring martial law, anything to prove he did not lose. Americans have seen this movie before.

Conversely, if Republicans retain full control of the House and Senate, Trump will act on his no-limits-on-power mandate with epic fury.

Win or lose the midterms, expect the final two years of Trump’s term to be both frightening and historic. He will seek to play a major role in choosing his successor and to ensure Republicans keep the White House because he cannot bear to leave the stage.

I fear for our nation, given that 59 percent of Americans believe “Trump is mentally, physically unfit to serve effectively,” according to a Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll. In late April, a Fox News poll found that among registered voters, 60 percent thought Trump lacked the temperament to be president, 55 percent believed he lacked mental soundness, and 57 percent said he lacked the judgment to be president.

Especially after the midterm elections, watch how America’s foundation is tested by a lame duck who believes his power has no limits. Meanwhile, Trump appears increasingly unstable amid declining health. He commands the world’s strongest military and acts against his “subjects,” like the mad king our Founders rebelled against and designed a government to prevent.

I ask: Could revolutionary history repeat itself?

Myra Adams served on the creative team of two Republican presidential campaigns in 2004 and 2008.

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constitution

Founding Fathers

George III

Midterm elections

President Trump

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