Susan Hennessey

The founding fathers assumed only the best of the best would ever be put forth by their political party to run for president, assumed the oath of office would morally bind the president to fulfill the requirements of that office, and assumed a person so unfit for office would be quickly removed by a bipartisan Congress. They could never have envisaged Trump as president for he has used, and abused his powers while being supported in that abuse by his own party. Their failure to ever foresee a toxic presidency meant they did not sufficiently limit the president’s seemingly endless powers which “squint at monarchy” or allow Congress the means to properly investigate presidential misbehaviour.… (more)

This was a fascinating and insightful look at the institution of the American presidency and how it has been changed through history, as well as the impact Donald Trump has had on the norms associated with it. The authors discuss a variety of topics including the oath the president swears to, ethics, corruption, foreign policy, pardons, etc. as well as how the president is reigned in by law, ethics and/or norms. The postscript was particularly educational as the authors looked at the Ukraine issue by discussing how this crisis reflected each of the previous topics discussed. The more I read, the more I am convinced that Trump as been no asset to the United States. This book was an excellent resource for helping me determine my vote in 2020.… (more)