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Civitas Outlook
Topic
Politics
Published on
Mar 17, 2025
Contributors
John Yoo
Robert Delahunty

The Claim That Trump Is Causing a Constitutional Crisis Ignores a Key Reality

Contributors
John Yoo
John Yoo
Senior Research Fellow
John Yoo
Robert Delahunty
Robert Delahunty
Robert Delahunty
Summary
Claims of an ongoing constitutional crisis are overblown.
Summary
Claims of an ongoing constitutional crisis are overblown.
Listen to this article

Opponents of Donald Trump’s whirlwind return to the presidency scream "constitutional crisis." They claim that the administration will defy the courts, then overthrow the constitutional structure and govern by executive decree. The New York Times editorial board alleged that many of Trumps’ first moves "blatantly exceed what is legally granted. He and his supporters have sought to undermine those best positioned to check his overreaches of power. And he is moving to eliminate the tools of accountability in government." Almost 1,000 law professors chimed in with a letter claiming Trump’s actions are "beyond his constitutional or statutory authority."

Claims of a constitutional crisis are overblown, if not completely imaginary. Critics would have a better claim to credibility if they were not so obviously partisan. These same authority figures did not warn of a constitutional crash when President Joseph Biden, without congressional authorization, forgave an estimated $400 billion in federal student debt – a constitutional "power grab" if there ever was one, and a far cry from anything Elon Musk’s efficiency drive will find in cuts.  

They saw no constitutional crises when the Biden administration claimed emergency powers under COVID-19 to shut down the economy, halt most travel in the nation, require mandatory vaccinations and support the closures of churches, schools and even political meetings.  

Continue reading at Fox News Opinion

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