President Donald Trump displays a signed executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on March 26, 2025, announcing 25% tariffs on all foreign-made cars.

All presidents try to concentrate power into the office of the executive. But none has done so as brazenly, or as ambitiously, as Donald Trump.

Presidents act with alacrity in concentrating power because they think in the short term: They dismiss the concern that the opposition party may inherit the enhanced powers of the presidency. That will be someone else’s problem to distress over when they are gone.

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But while presidents can disregard the concern that succeeding presidents may use the increased powers of their office for very different purposes, other political actors can’t be so cavalier about the long-term consequence of institutional change.

Consider Congress. Legislators who intend to have........

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