Overview
- Axios reports that Trump claims unilateral authority to deploy the military at home and overseas and to be the final judge of his own actions.
- A February executive order declares that the President’s and Attorney General Pam Bondi’s legal opinions are controlling for all executive-branch employees.
- The administration has repeatedly invoked emergencies, including citing fentanyl trafficking, and has used force in the Caribbean without war authorization.
- The Supreme Court and a GOP-led Congress have offered limited restraint, with the 6-3 court upholding many expansive claims and recognizing broad immunity for official acts.
- Some appointees express interest in greater federal control of elections as a senior official denies plans to seize voting machines or deploy troops, and election-law scholar Rick Hasen warns of interference risks but anticipates pushback.