Whether you like our current President or not, one thing that seems to characterize his actions is that there seems to be no limits in what he can do.

In a recent two-hour interview with members of the press, he was asked if there were any limits to his global power. President Trump said: “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It is the only thing that can stop me.” His answer did not mention any Constitutional limitations to his power.

The public now is beginning to understand this as reflected in the recent “No Kings” demonstrations that sprung up around the country a few months ago. Kings can do whatever they want to, “the public be damned.” Americans have generally supported strong Presidents, but they have always believed that there are limits to executive authority.

We now seem to be in a time when the President can do whatever he wants to without congressional authority or legal precedent. In a typical move this past week, Mr. Trump initiated a criminal investigation of the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank, an institution created to be independent from the White House.

Yet, likely the most visible exercise of his power has been the whole idea of imposing tariffs on imported goods. It was introduced with great fanfare without action of any kind from the Congress.

Now, news releases come from the White House taking credit for reducing some of the various tariffs that were imposed. Recently, we were told that there would no longer be a tariff on coffee, furniture, and beef among other items. People started squawking about inflation, so the White House slashed tariffs on a few products,

But, what a way to run a government! Merchants, traders and consumers have no idea what to expect from one day to the next.

The deployment of the National Guard seems to be another whimsical application of Presidential power. Now, months later, the Supreme Court, in a rare decision, has declared that the President exceeded his authority in randomly sending troops into American cities. Could the tide be turning?

There is a local connection to this whole question, as our own Supreme Court Justice, Robert H. Jackson, wrote the seminal decision in 1952 limiting Presidential power in the government’s seizure of the steel mills during the Korean War. President Truman wasn’t happy. Jackson was a Democrat and a friend. But, the issue went beyond friendship–it dealt with the structure of our democracy and the constitutional limits of Presidential power.

There is another matter which is particularly irksome to me. There now seems to be no limit on using the White House as a base for making money or expanding one’s personal or business fortune. We have seen everything from meme coins, to crypto businesses, to accepting the gift of a fancy jumbo jet from a foreign government, to foreign real estate deals–all coming from the Trump White House.

Whatever happened to the emoluments clause in the U.S. Constitution? Are there no limits to using the Oval Office for personal & business dealings?

Enough said. I think when the Trump Presidency has passed, the country, after reflection, will move to impose more enforceable limits on the exercise of Presidential power.

Rolland Kidder is a Stow resident.