Has Donald Trump, who is at the head of the world's leading power, reached the peak of his ambitions? “Now the dream is to become a great president“, the billionaire recently shared with his granddaughter Kai.
This conversation was published by 18-year-old Kai on “Instagram“. It provides insight into the 79-year-old Republican's motivations, a year after he won a second term in the US presidential election.
For Donald Trump, being a great president means, more than ever, exercising executive power to a degree rarely seen in American history.
He has retaliated against his opponents, sent the National Guard into several major Democratic-run cities, silenced the media and asserted his control over every lever of government.
His critics say the president, who openly admires authoritarian monarchs and leaders and was presented with a replica crown during a recent trip to South Korea, is abusing his power.
“There is a definite authoritarian aspect to him,“ says Todd Belt, a political scientist at “George Washington University“.
And If Donald Trump consolidated his power immediately after returning to the White House in January, the murder of ultraconservative influencer Charlie Kirk in September fueled Trump's approach based on opposition between “us” and “them“, Belt explains.
The recent campaign against his opponents is perhaps the most blatant example of presidential abuse of power.
The Justice Department has launched legal proceedings against several of Trump's opponents, notably his former national security adviser John Bolton and former FBI director James Comey, days after Trump called on social media for them to be prosecuted.
And while Trump praises peace agreements made abroad, he has openly attacked enemies at home, whether they are left-wing radicals or undocumented immigrants in the United States.
In a recent speech to senior military officials, Trump said that American cities could serve as training grounds for soldiers.
Despite the budget blockade that has been going on in the United States for five weeks, the billionaire organized on Friday in at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida for a Halloween party under the theme “The Great Gatsby“.
That same night at midnight, 42 million Americans receiving public food assistance lost access to it due to the federal government shutdown.
The president also continues to silence the voice of the media, giving increasing importance to journalists who are close to his “Make America Great Again“ movement and suing the “New York Times“, “Wall Street Journal“ or CBS.
Trump has even asserted his authority in the presidential residence, demolishing the East Wing of the White House to build a $300 million ballroom in its place without any public consultation.
A few days ago, he again raised the topic of a third term in 2028, which he has mentioned several times before. But now he has admitted that he is not allowed to run for a third term after House Speaker Mike Johnson said that such a thing would be unconstitutional.
“Polls show that Trump does not have as much leeway as he did in the first 10 days of his term,“ said William Galston, a fellow at the “Brookings“. "Polls suggest that people think he has gone too far," he added.
And as attention turns to the midterm elections in November, a Washington Post-ABC News-IPSOS poll released Sunday found that nearly two-thirds of Americans believe Trump is overstepping the boundaries of executive power.
But the poll also suggests that Democrats are getting little benefit from those concerns.
The president is also facing several Supreme Court decisions that could expand executive power over Congress and the judiciary.
"The question remains how far the billionaire has gone on his own," Galston said. "When a president ignores long-established traditions, the presidency takes on dimensions that no one can imagine", the analyst added.
Translation from French: Gabriela Golemanska, BTA