President Donald Trump has gobbled up power and punished his critics in unprecedented ways in just over half a year back in office, and his administration officials warn they're just getting started.
Presidents have commonly sought to stretch the limits of the White House's power and have, on rare occasions, targeted their domestic critics, but Axios reported on 15 different areas where Trump has "proudly and loudly" veered into unprecedented territory in the first eight months of his second term.
"Trump has done this in eight short months, often with the loyal backing of a compliant Republican-led Congress and validated by the conservative majority of the Supreme Court," reported Jim Vandei Hei and Mike Allen for Axios. "Trump has 40 more months — four-fifths of his term — left to stretch it further. White House officials tell us they're just getting going. They see chaos as their brand and 'consequence culture' taking root."
Trump advisers see few checks on his power on the horizon, especially if the right-wing Supreme Court keeps rubber-stamping his policies and if Republicans keep control of Congress in next year's election, but Axios argued that the founders never envisioned a federal government this big helmed by an all-powerful chief executive.
"Trump has declared nine national emergencies in his first eight months in office, stretching the definition of 'emergency' in creative and aggressive ways," the outlet reported. "Trump has waged the most aggressive government campaign against mainstream media in modern U.S. history — stripping funding from public outlets, pushing the FCC to revoke broadcast licenses over negative coverage, and personally suing CBS/Paramount, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times while in office."
Many administration policies come straight from the Project 2025 blueprint – with nearly half that playbook's plans already implemented, according to one analysis – but others seem to materialize out of thin air and take shape on the president's social media page or through an executive order.
"This can seem improvisational, and sometimes is. But step back and you see a very clear, often methodical, march to greater executive power. It often starts with one Truth Social post here or an executive order there," Axios reported. "But then the pattern repeats itself. And new precedent is slowly — then suddenly — set."
Trump has essentially sidelined the GOP-led Congress, which has barely challenged his moves to freeze or redirect billions in funds they've approved, seizing their authority over tariffs, issuing an executive order seeking to eliminate the 14th Amendment's guarantee of birthright citizenship and claiming the right to personally dictate prosecutions and order investigations of his political opponents.
"Now it's commonplace to see Trump use U.S. military on U.S. soil, a move once reserved for clear emergencies," Axios reported. "Or sue a media company for criticism, or target individual critics, or pressure universities to fire leaders or shift policies, or demand law firms or businesses to pay the government or face its wrath."