Commentary: Trump’s unprecedented power grab has repercussions abroad

SINGAPORE: One cannot benchmark Donald Trump against any other US president.

While others have pushed the boundaries of presidential power, including former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden using executive orders to override congressional inaction, the incumbent obliterates them. 

Mr Trump determined the US Constitution does not afford birthright citizenship, declared national emergencies that grant him the power to issue sweeping tariffs, and ordered the national guard into US cities to tackle a “crime emergency”.

He used the power of the state to force media companies and law firms to acquiesce to his demands, placed unqualified loyalists into Cabinet posts, threatened Republican senators to vote to confirm them, and pulled out of multilateral institutions.

No other US president took such actions collectively. 

Mr Trump’s unprecedented supremacy derives from having driven out of his party nearly everyone with the temerity to challenge him. The US Congress no longer serves as a check on presidential power.

At home and abroad, anxiety grows about the durability of US democracy. Its system of checks and balances teeters from a singular transformative personality demanding personal loyalty, coupled with his enormous political and personal wealth and an influential right-wing media empire.

The tragic murder of Charlie Kirk should be a time for all Americans to come together to question why political violence has hit a level not seen for decades.

Leaders from both parties should adopt the stance of Utah’s Republican Governor: “Words are not violence. Violence is violence.”

But instead of using this heinous act to call for unity, Mr Trump has focused on “radical left political violence”, setting the stage for him to go after those whom he claims “fund and support it”, which would further consolidate his power.

DEMOCRATS NOT ON THE SAME PAGE IN COUNTERING TRUMP

Mr Trump’s political instincts on important issues appeal to many Americans, from fighting crime to protecting the border and addressing the downsides of globalisation. He and his supporters argue that he has tackled these challenges aggressively and head-on, unlike President Biden.

His diagnosis may be directionally accurate, but the cure proves to be divisive and, at worst, counterproductive.

With his party, corporate leaders, the media, and universities mostly falling in line, only the Democratic Party can provide a counter-narrative about how his policies will lead to economic and physical detriment.

“Message discipline is key to countering the narrative. Everyone must be on the same page repeating it loudly,” Mike McCurry, White House Press Secretary under President Bill Clinton, told us.

“The Democrats should be getting Trump voters to ask themselves one simple question: ‘Will my kids have a better life than I have today?’” he said.

WILL DEMOCRATS GAMBLE ON A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN?

The Democrats will soon have an opportunity to take a stand against the Trump administration by ending funding for the government on Sep 30.

While normally powerless, seven Democratic votes are needed to pass the annual appropriations bill in the Senate. It’s their one chance to highlight their view of Mr Trump’s attack on the US system.

Democratic lawmakers are debating whether they should rubber-stamp another year-long budget that funds the ongoing destruction of America’s institutions.

In a government shutdown, non-essential operations cease – national parks close, war veterans stop receiving compensation benefits, and small businesses do not receive payments for government contracts. These hit average Americans, and they will pay attention and want to know why this happened and who to blame.

A stoppage of government services may backfire on the Democrats if Americans blame them for taking away their needed services, thereby giving Mr Trump ever greater power. If they go for the shutdown, they will need to win the messaging battle versus a great showman who understands Americans’ fears and anxieties. 

WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE WORLD

Trump’s unprecedented power has implications for the rest of the world.

“The US’ long-term institutions may survive, and the government could in the future return to some pre-Trump semblance with various guardrails on the president,” said veteran Democratic operative Peter Goelz.

“But each month this administration remains in power, the more difficult it will be to right the ship of state,” he added.

As Mr Trump consolidates power at home, he abandons the country’s global leadership role. This will usher in a post-World War II level of change on economic and geopolitical fronts.

“Without the US anchoring the global trading system, we have no idea who will,” said Dr Deborah Elms of the Hinrich Foundation. 

“With the US stepping off the stage, we do know, however, supply chains will be shorter, more fragile, and more costly. Governments and businesses are not ready for this.”

Geopolitically, the world enters a more tenuous time. In the past week alone, Russia’s incursion into Polish airspace and Israel’s bombing in Qatar are attacks on national sovereignty. The US has not taken concrete action in response.

Over the next few weeks, Mr Trump looks to leverage the tragedy of Kirk’s murder and stare down the Democrats as they try to be a guardrail against increasing executive authority. 

If Mr Trump accrues even greater power at home, governments, businesses and investors may re-balance away from the US sooner rather than later. Normally, a government shutdown goes barely noticed outside of the US. That should not be the case this time. The repercussions will likely be felt across the world. 

Steven R Okun and Thurgood Marshall Jr served in the Clinton administration as Deputy General Counsel at the Department of Transportation and White House Cabinet Secretary, respectively. Mr Okun serves as CEO of APAC Advisors in Singapore. Mr Marshall practices law in Washington.