With a cover that resembles the one Donald Trump himself shared and depicts him as… a king, Economist in an attempt to emphasize the personal nature of his policies.

As the magazine notes in its analysis, Donald Trump, in his first month in office, has excited his supporters and shocked his opponents.

See the Economist cover:

In a political “blitzkrieg,” he is attempting to turn the presidency into the sovereign power of the country, setting aside the role of Congress and the courts. The question that arises is how far this effort will go and what the consequences will be for the American democratic system.

It will be recalled that on Tuesday, the White House, in a post shared by the US president himself, on the occasion of the abolition of the tolls, published a cartoon of Trump wearing a crown with the caption “Long live the King!”

“Long live the King!

According to the Economist, Trump has shown that he is seeking to concentrate power in his own hands. He governs through presidential executive orders, often ignoring Congress, and has sought to limit the power of the judiciary. Many of his nearly 70 executive orders have been challenged as unconstitutional, causing a test of endurance with the judicial system.

In addition, he has imposed strict controls on government departments. The Washington Post reported that candidates for senior jobs in intelligence and law enforcement were asked if they subscribe to Mr. Trump’s false claim that he won the 2020 election. Mr. Trump has also swept away safeguards enacted after Watergate that were intended to keep the Justice Department out of politics. One of the department’s first acts was to ask prosecutors to drop corruption charges against Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City-if only as long as he does what Mr. Trump demands.

The shaping of the new American foreign policy

On foreign policy, Trump is seeking to remove the US from multilateral organizations, such as the World Health Organization, and to use trade tariffs as leverage.

His stance on Russia and his questioning of the transatlantic alliance with Europe indicate an approach that sees traditional alliances as negotiable rather than an integral part of US strategy.

Parallels with history and the dangers

Trump is not the first president to attempt to accumulate power. Franklin Roosevelt issued more than 3,700 executive orders, and the power of the presidency has been gradually building for decades. However, how he seeks to impose his will, ignoring institutional safeguards, is worrying, according to the magazine’s analysis. The excessive concentration of power threatens the separation of powers, a key pillar of American democracy, the Economist says.

Possible countermeasures and reactions

The judiciary, though moving slowly, has the power to stop executive overreach. The Supreme Court may strike down some of Trump’s executive orders, triggering a constitutional crisis if the president chooses to ignore them.

In addition, the realities of the economy will begin to put pressure on the government. Increased tariffs and budget deficits are leading to inflationary pressures, which markets and businesses cannot ignore. If the government cannot provide basic services due to the deregulation of the bureaucracy, public opinion may turn against Trump, no matter how powerful he seems at the moment.

Conclusion: America’s future gamble

In foreign policy, Trump has the potential to bring about significant change before there is a backlash. Domestically, however, he faces the very institutional structures of American democracy. The possibility of a constitutional crisis or institutional deadlock is real.

The greater irony is that the powers Trump is amassing could be used against Republicans by a future Democratic president. Therefore, his party should consider whether unlimited power is really in its best interest in the long run. The balance between presidential power and democratic institutions is the central stake for America in the coming years.