Articles on US Founders

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At his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025, Donald Trump swore to ‘preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.’ Morry Gash/POOL/AFP, Getty Images

Trump treats laws as obstacles, not limits − and the only real check on his rule‑breaking can come from political pressure

The most meaningful check on presidential power in the Trump era will be political. That’s because courts rely on the broader political system for enforcement.
President George Washington, left, and his Cabinet: Henry Knox, secretary of war; Alexander Hamilton, secretary of the Treasury; Thomas Jefferson, secretary of state; and Edmund Randolph, attorney general. Currier and Ives/Bettmann - Getty Images

When presidents would send handwritten lists of their nominees to the Senate, things were a lot different

The US now faces the likelihood of a bruising and raucous set of confirmation hearings − a clear break from the cooperative system the founders established.

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