450 Chapter 12Chapter 12 || The PresidencyThe PresidencyUnpacking the Conflict
Considering all that we’ve discussed in this chapter, let’s apply what we know about
how the office of the president works to the questions we presented at the beginning
of this chapter. Will Trump and the outcomes of his tenure in office redefine what
makes a successful president? What are the factors that enable any presidents to be
successful?
President Donald Trump occupies an office whose power is derived from
constitutional authority, statutory authority, and ambiguities that enable unilateral
action. While he promised during the campaign to transform America, his presidency
highlights the difficulties that any president would face in trying to deliver on this
promise. Although presidents are given considerable powers, big policy changes
generally require congressional consent. And as we have seen, even with unified
government, Trump has been no more successful than his predecessors at persuading
members of Congress to accept his policy plans such as the building of a border
wall. Trump has also faced opposition from within the bureaucracy and from citizens
pursuing their claims through the federal judicial system. The fact that Republicans lost
their House majority in the 2018 midterms will only magnify these difficulties.
Even so, Trump has had some notable successes, particularly in areas where he
can act unilaterally using executive orders, as well as in shaping American foreign
policy. Trump’s appointees to posts in Cabinet departments and federal agencies
have made significant progress in implementing his agenda in the form of regulatory
changes and new interpretations of existing laws. Taking together these successes
and the failures that we’ve noted, we should not conclude that Donald Trump has
some special powers that his predecessors have lacked or is deficient in some crucial
talent. While his day-to-day behavior is sometimes different from what we have come
to expect from our presidents, Trump’s overall performance is not surprising. Rather, it
illustrates both the possibilities and the limitations of the presidency in contemporary
American politics.What’s
Your
Take?
Does Trump’s presidency
represent a departure
from the norm? How do
the results he’s achieved inoffice compare with those
of previous presidents?Full_13_APT_64431_ch12_418-453.indd 450 16/11/18 10:34 AM