Republicans for the Rule of Law and Protect Democracy released a new video responding to President Trump’s claim that he has “total authority” as president.
Watch the new video here, which will air on Fox & Friends on Friday in DC, and will be promoted across digital platforms.
This video is part of an ongoing project by Republicans for the Rule of Law and Protect Democracy about presidential accountability. Throughout his presidency, Trump has, at every turn, advanced extreme legal arguments and made excuses to avoid the traditional oversight that previous presidents have accepted. In the process, he has negated the checks and balances that are at the heart of our constitutional system, and elevated himself to a king-like position. To learn more about the project of presidential accountability, visit our websites here and here.
Republicans for the Rule of Law Chief of Communications Carson Putnam released the following statement along with the video:
We’ve come a long way from “The Buck Stops Here.” Rather than shouldering responsibility for his legal authorities, President Trump is claiming new authorities to tell states when they can reopen, while denying all responsibility for the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. His job is to be a leader – not a king, not a commentator, not a rabble rouser, but a responsible leader in a time of crisis.
Protect Democracy Policy Advocate Justin Vail released the following statement along with the video:
President Trump is borrowing a chapter straight from the authoritarian playbook by taking advantage of a national crisis to claim new powers. The president’s authority is not total. There is no debate here. Legal scholars, elected officials of both parties, and any middle school civics student all know that there are three equal branches of the federal government, and that power is also reserved to the states. President Trump is not a king or a dictator, he is an elected president beholden to our Constitution, and it’s about time he started acting like it.