From the moment he announced his campaign for the presidency, Donald Trump has provoked concerns of an authoritarian turn in American politics. His declaration Friday of a national emergency so he can order construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border would seem to confirm the suspicions of his most ardent critics that President Trump’s uniquely authoritarian brand of politics threatens the very fabric of constitutional governance. …
Not quite. Trump’s unilateral gambit is more a sign of his political weakness than strength. To see why that is, we need to distinguish between Trump’s motivating impulses — which do seem authoritarian — and the actual effects of his behavior. CONT.
Josh Chafetz & Douglas L. Kriner (Cornell), Washington Post