Trump’s Power Plays Spur Backlash
Fears of a constitutional crisis grow.
It’s been another busy day over at Political Wire, so let’s break it down.
President Donald Trump spent Friday pushing aggressive changes across the federal government. His administration moved to strip the Education Department of key functions, shifting the $1.6 trillion student loan program to the Small Business Administration and transferring special education oversight to Health and Human Services.
Trump has long wanted to abolish the Education Department entirely—a goal cheered by his conservative base but one that has never gained traction with the broader public.
Trump’s team also gutted the civil rights office at the Department of Homeland Security, firing its staff and ending internal oversight of the administration’s hardline immigration enforcement. In the Oval Office, Trump openly asserted sweeping powers under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to round up and deport people without standard due process.
Even U.S. allies took notice: Britain updated its travel advisory to warn citizens about strict consequences for violating American immigration laws.
A remarkable clash between Trump’s administration and the courts escalated further. The acting Social Security commissioner threatened to shut down the agency—and halt benefit payments to millions—in response to a judge’s ruling that blocked Elon Musk’s team from accessing sensitive government data.
Legal observers called the move unprecedented, and it comes as appeals courts are so far refusing to fast-track Trump’s requests to overturn lower court orders, signaling judicial resistance to the president’s attempts to bypass legal constraints.
Public and political push back is building in response to Trump’s flurry of executive actions. At a packed town hall in Utah, voters shouted “Do your job!” at Republican congressmen, demanding that Congress rein in the President’s unilateral cuts and orders.
On Capitol Hill, Senate Democrats launched a new whistleblower portal to collect evidence of what they argue are illegal efforts to dismantle federal agencies—another sign of growing efforts to check Trump’s reach.
Trump’s influence is even being felt on college campuses. Columbia University agreed to meet the administration’s demands in order to regain $400 million in federal funds that Trump had cut off.
In a striking concession, the Ivy League school will ban masks on campus, expand police powers for campus officers, and appoint a special monitor over certain academic programs—illustrating how federal funding leverage is forcing institutions to bend to political pressure.
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After a full term, Trump was elected. We were waned by Kamela. No surprise. She was spot on. America will just have to live with the chaos for well 3 years. Dems popularity at an all-time low.
It is probably a matter of time until this person decides to ignore the Supreme Court's decisions against him. Even U.S. citizens are being arrested and deported; most likely because they criticized the prez. I think democracy died on January 20th 2025. Thanks America!....for nothing.