2025-12-20
49 分钟The Economist.
Presidents have long been criticized for seeking to expand their power.
In 1863, the editor of the Metropolitan Record,
a Catholic weekly paper, wrote a play denouncing Abraham Lincoln.
In the play, the president was on trial, an America's constitution,
which had miraculously come to life, led the prosecution,
accusing the president of an outrageous power grab.
He has deprived us the personified constitution charged in many cases of the benefits of trial by jury.
He has taken away our charters, abolished our most valuable laws,
and altered fundamentally the powers of our government.
Today,
we consider the very different circumstances in which a very different president is redefining the powers of his office.
I'm Charlotte Howard, and this is Chex and Balance from The Economist.
Each week we take one big theme, shaping American politics and explore it in depth.
As we near the end of 2025, we consider the effect that Donald Trump has had on his office so far.
From military actions to prosecutions to tariffs,
President Trump is stretching the boundaries of executive authority.
How has the power of the presidency changed in 2025?
And will those changes endure?
With me in New York are James Bennett, our Lexington colonist, and Steve Cole, senior editor.