Congress has failed America; we must act
During a campaign rally at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa, on January 23, 2016, presidential candidate Donald Trump made a striking declaration to supporters: "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK? It's, like, incredible."
Nearly a decade later, that same confidence in unchecked power has evolved into presidential assertions that extend far beyond rhetorical flourish. Trump now could add variations on that theme: assertions that he can act without congressional oversight through executive orders, operate without constitutional constraints, or override state control of elections without facing meaningful opposition.
The fundamental principle remains clear: no president, regardless of party affiliation, possesses unlimited authority. Yet mounting evidence suggests that Donald Trump operates under the belief that no boundaries exist to constrain his presidential power.
Presidential Power Without Limits
In December 2025, Susie Wiles, who became the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff when she assumed the position in January 2025, stated publicly that Trump believes nothing restricts what he can do as president. Trump reinforced this perspective during a January 8, 2026 interview with The New York Times. When asked about limits to his global powers, he responded with stark simplicity.
"Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It's the only thing that can stop me."
The American public has witnessed Trump's morality and judgment in practice. The time has arrived for citizens to exercise their constitutional power at the ballot box to prevent the further erosion of democratic institutions.
Congressional Abdication of Responsibility
Congress has abandoned its constitutional responsibilities. Members serve as representatives of the people, yet that representation has grown silent when needed most.
Congressional representatives must remember their accountability to the electorate. As Thomas Jefferson observed in 1814: "If our government ever fails, it will be from this weakness. No government can be maintained without the principle of fear as well as of duty. Good men will obey the last, but bad ones the former only."
The moment has come for Americans to instill political consequences in those members of Congress who neglect their duties. The Constitution grants Congress alone the power to declare war, yet they have effectively ceded this authority to Trump. Congress controls federal spending through the power of the purse, yet they have surrendered that power as well. While states hold constitutional authority over elections, Congress has failed to defend this principle as Trump attempts to assert federal control.
The Call to Action
The familiar warning bears repeating: the only requirement for evil to triumph is for good people to remain inactive. Those who understand the distinction between right and wrong, who possess moral clarity, who recognize the nation's troubling trajectory, and who witness diminishing American leadership must take action.
On February 23, 2016, Trump celebrated his victory in the Nevada Republican caucuses at his Las Vegas hotel, winning with over 44 percent of the vote. During that speech, he catalogued his support across demographic groups: "We won with young, we won with old, we won with highly educated. We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated."
To Trump and those who underestimate the American public: even citizens with limited formal education are not lacking in intelligence or judgment.
Americans do not accept the contradictory claim that the 2020 election was fraudulent because Trump lost, while the 2024 election was legitimate because he won. The nation's election system operates with integrity and security. Citizens possess the constitutional power to restrain executive overreach.
The path forward requires collective action. Americans must raise their voices and exercise their most fundamental right: VOTE.
Cynthia A. Baldwin served on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court from February 2006 to January 2008, becoming the second African-American woman to serve on that court and the first African-American woman elected to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. She writes as a columnist for the New Pittsburgh Courier.
