Opinion | Donald Trump is the leader America needs to confront today’s realities
- By subverting conventions to a degree no recent president came close to matching, Trump has forced Americans to reassess their policy priorities and reaffirm their values and freedoms, in the process strengthening democracy in the US
While Trump’s deterioration of established norms, both domestically and abroad, has been the subject of disdain, fear and intense criticism, I believe he is actually the best person to be leading the US right now. Trump’s presidency is causing Americans to take a harder look at what they expect from their government, both in the White House and on Capitol Hill. Some of the ways in which this is happening are very subtle, but important, and will ultimately have a positive impact on American democracy.
Already, members of Congress, including some from his own party, are speaking out against his use of emergency powers. Challenges in Congress and in the court system are imminent.
This is not the only manifestation of a more assertive Congress. While in the past several decades, the legislative branch has been content to cede some of its power to the executive, under Trump, Congress is finally stepping back to the plate. When the administration has failed to appropriately respond, including to Russian interference or to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Congress has stepped up, passing sanctions and resolutions requiring the administration to take action. A Congress reawakened to its reality as an equal partner of the executive branch and not a subordinate is what America’s founding fathers intended.