ORL Statement on President Trump’s Assertion on His Executive Powers

The Founders of our Republic united around the rule of law. According to John Adams: “the very definition of a Republic is an Empire of laws and not of men.”  In response to an inquiry about whether the new government would be a republic or a monarchy, Ben Franklin said “A Republic if you can keep it.”  He was concerned that over time the Republic would give way to corruption and ultimately despotism.

Franklin would have read a recent New York Times interview of President Trump with alarm.  When asked if there were any limits to his powers globally, the President stated: “There is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.” This statement literally reflects a government of a man, not laws.  It is the exact opposite of what Adams and Franklin meant by a Republic. The statement gives ORL concern that our national government is not keeping the faith with Franklin and Adams, and we risk losing our precious Republic.

On January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump swore his second oath to “preserve, protect, and defend” the Constitution to the best of his abilities and faithfully execute his responsibilities as President. His statement to the New York Times clearly and emphatically violates his oath to uphold the Constitution.  Instead, we are supposed to be comfortable that his sense of morality –  which needs no additional comment – is the guidepost for our actions internationally.  The President has used the same faulty barometer domestically.  He thinks because in his mind he is the government, he is free to seek revenge and retribution against political opponents, universities, law firms, governors of the Federal Reserve, and anyone else that has the temerity to embrace a different set of values. 

Every other President since George Washington would have answered the question by stating that he is limited by the powers conferred by the Constitution and ultimately is responsible to, and accountable to, the American people. But not Donald Trump. His pursuit of self-centered and self-serving authoritarian power as our nation’s Chief Executive and Commander in Chief simply grows on a daily basis, and he has immunity for actions that violate the law under a recent Supreme Court decision.  So, our government is transforming from one of laws to essentially an unaccountable man without restraint.

This nation has never heard this kind of statement by a President before, even in times of war, including the American Civil War and two subsequent world wars. The President believes he is free to take illegal actions against sovereign nations without involving Congress and threaten our allies including NATO nations such as Denmark over Greenland with bellicose statements to bend to his will.

The American Revolution was fought by brave men and women who opposed the tyranny of a king and wanted to be free – self-governing in a democracy with certain inalienable rights reserved to the people. It is time once again to rally around the Constitution and the Rule of Law. These are the boundaries that will protect us and must be upheld in a republic of, by, and for the people as President Abraham Lincoln reminded us all.

Our Republican Legacy’s foundational principle is support for the Constitution and the Rule of Law – “the glue that holds together our diverse country.” We condemn President Trump’s statement that the only limits to his power are what he deems to be moral or what his mind can imagine unchecked by any law, or societal norm, or sense of common decency. We are a nation of laws, not of the vengeful and misguided passions of one man. ORL calls on Congress to immediately reclaim and reassert its Constitutional role and power under Article 1 as a separate but equal branch of government to stop President Trump’s grab for even more executive power and greater unilateral authority to act in his own interest.  In a time where Franklin’s fear becomes more real every day, we urge our fellow citizens to embrace the Rule of Law and reassure America and the rest of the world that we intend to keep our Republic.