President Trump
ADEYEMI OSHUNRINADE
July 28, 2017
The word chaos does nothing to convey the mood inside the White House. The appointment of Anthony Scaramucci as new Trump Communication Director was meant to be a way to communicate the President’s agenda but instead, it has become a new phase of animosity and power struggle among the so-called Trump loyalists.
Barely his first week in office, Scaramucci publicly humiliated Reince Priebus calling him a “paranoid schizophrenic” who will be pushed out soon. He did not stop there but also went after the President’s chief strategist Steve Bannon, accusing him of trying to build his brand off the strength of the President to show how much he disagrees with the two.
Amidst the power struggle, republicans in the Senate failed to pass the poorly crafted “Skinny repeal bill” they hope would bring an end to ObamaCare, which Trump vowed to repeal the moment he becomes, President. With the help of three GOP Senators Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and John McCain, the repeal bill came to an end for the moment, while the Senate figures out a way to work in a bipartisan fashion.
With the Trump administration failing to manage the White House and the Senate unable to pass key legislation, the mood around the country is that the President is beginning to lose support within his own party. Some GOP members in the Senate are now willing to defy the President by voting against what they deemed inappropriate for their constituents and not only that, they are beginning to speak up against the President’s attempts to extend his power beyond his limit in the constitution.
Recently, in a disagreement with the President about his stance on Russia, the Senate voted 98-2 to impose new sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea. Also in the bill are provisions that will make it difficult for the President to suspend or end any of the sanctions. The lawmakers also made clear that the Senate will overwrite any move by the President to veto the bill.
The controversy around a possible replacement of Jeff Sessions has become another rallying point among members of both parties, with many in the GOP warning that removing Sessions would be a bad omen for the Trump Presidency. Some Democrats, who did not vote to confirm Sessions, now share same view warning there would be no new confirmation hearing for Attorney General.
The appointment of Robert Mueller as the independent Counsel championing the Russian investigation is another area of disagreement with the President. After words got out that Trump was contemplating replacing Sessions with a new Attorney General capable of firing Mueller, many in the Senate were quick to warn the President that such move would be a grave mistake.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a ranking member of the GOP said that firing Mueller would be “beginning of the end of Trump’s presidency.” Other republicans, who believe Mueller is the right man for the job, share same view, warning that the President would be doing himself a disfavor by taking such a position.
Latest GOP battle with the President is on healthcare, which so far has failed to bear fruit. Efforts by the Senate to pass a repeal and replace bill crashed before reaching the Senate floor. A repeal and delay bill faced the same roadblock after lacking support from GOP members of both Houses and finally, the so-called “Skinny repeal bill” met its death after three Republican members of the Senate voted no.
With his support within the GOP dwindling, President Trump may begin to realize he can’t run the U.S. government like a real estate business. The United States is a democracy and cannot be governed by nationalist or authoritarian ideology. There is check and balance in the U.S. government and Congress reserves the rights to caution the President to prevent his misuse of presidential power.
Adeyemi Oshunrinade [E. JD] is an expert in general law, foreign relations and the United Nations. He is the author of ‘Wills Law and Contests,’ ‘Constitutional Law-First Amendment,’ ‘Criminal Law-Homicide’ and ‘SAVING LOVE’ available on Amazon. Follow on Twitter @san0670.
Categories: Politics, U.S. Economy and Policies
Gettysburg Institute Post 
Leave a Reply