Trump faces tough time from judiciary

Donald Trump has recently sustained defeat after defeat, leaving him fuming and frustrated over serial reverses when he is supposed to be the world’s most powerful politician.

The decision by the US Supreme Court to block Trump’s plan to restrict mail-in voting ahead of November’s midterm Congressional election angered him particularly since his first-term appointees has asserted their independence. His rebuke targeted Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett who appeared have voted with the majority. “These are not the people I interviewed to serve on the United States Supreme Court,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. His comment exposed his expectation that his appointees would deal with a law in a way to repay a personal debt to the president.

A lower court also rejected Trump’s plan to renovate the Kennedy Centre after he failed to add his name to the memorial to John F. Kennedy. The court argued that only Congress could take such action. Kennedy was slain in 1963 before he had shown expected promise as president. Indeed, if Kennedy had lived and served a second term, Trump might not be the current resident of the White House.

Trump was infuriated when members of the Republican majority House of Representatives, voted with opposition Democrats to demand he end his war with Iran. Democrat opponents are critical of a Supreme Court that has sometimes shared Trump’s vision of expanding executive authority. But at times, the three independent-minded justices he appointed have also reined in Trump’s power. It should hardly be surprising that Supreme Court justices uphold the Constitution, which gives the states control over elections. The justices’ lifetime tenure also means they will be taking a decision and creating legacies long after Trump leaves office. This particular deadlock exposes how the separation of powers between the executive, legislature and judiciary is meant to work according to the sacrosanct US Constitution.

Meanwhile, Republican leaders have shunned his offer of a $5,000 check for every citizen if Republicans win in mid-term elections in November. While he has made similar offers earlier in different circumstances, he has never honoured them, this could be illegal as the offer could be seen as a bribe.

Finally, House Speaker Mike Johnson, a close Trump ally, chose to send representatives home a day earlier than planned to avoid a potentially embarrassing vote on impeaching Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth who is waging war on Iran without essential authorisation from Congress which alone has the right to declare war.

Finally, the Federal Reserve (the US central bank), headed by Trump-appointed Chairman Kevin Warsh, demonstrated independence from Trump by raising interest rates for the first time since July 2023. He has demanded large cuts to the cost of borrowing, thereby tackling the inflation exacerbated by his trade and warfare policies. He exploded on his Truth Social blog, claiming that that the country is booming and therefore US rates should be at one percent, rather than 3.75 percent to four per cent.

Trump’s belief that US power exercised abroad remains unchallenged has been challenged — even by near neighbour Canada which is considering association membership in the European Union following Trump’s threats and tariff demands.

Trump attempts have failed to divert attention over the disastrous Iran war, prosecuted by the US and Israel since February 28th. The war — which was meant to last weeks rather than months — has expanded. Recently, Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized land in and around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, potentially giving them leverage over a second critical oil exporting route while the US is still struggling to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the main passage for shipping Gulf oil. Petrol prices have risen in the US, thanks to Trump. This could harm Republican prospects in the mid-term Congressional election.

Trump’s serial misfortunes point to more than normal political reverses for second-term presidents. Each arises from his misplaced belief in his personal and presidential powers as well as a realistic assessment of US power to influence global events.

While 80-year-old, Trump’s current term ends on January 20th, 2029, he has threatened to stand for a third term although presidents are limited to two terms by the Twenty-Second Amendment of the Constitution which was adopted in 1951. After Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt served third and fourth terms in the White House in 1940 and 1944, Congress argued in 1947 that due to concerns that without limits, the presidency could become a lifetime dictatorship.

Until this was adopted, the limitation was respected by all presidents but one: Roosevelt. Roosevelt was no Trump. He was a grandee from a prominent family who entered public service through politics as a Democrat. He won election to the New York State Senate in 1910, was appointed assistant secretary of the Navy, and became the Democratic presidential nominee in 1920. He was elected president during the Great Depression and pledged to aid the US people recover. In his inaugural address he stated, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” There is absolutely no comparison with Trump.