Image from the Washington Post

This page is part of a resource collection on Authoritarianism & Bigotry in the Second Trump Administration.

Overview

Wikipedia: Unitary executive theory.

News: 2026

March 2.   David Sirota & Freddy Brewster: Any Showdown Over Warmaking Powers Could Ultimately End Up at Supreme Court: Such a case could give conservative justices a chance to let presidents launch wars without limits or authorization.

News: 2025

February 4.   Justin Jouvenal: Why the Supreme Court may be open to Trump’s push for expanded power: The Trump administration and the high court subscribe to a legal theory that grants extraordinary power to the president.

February 21.   C.J. Polychroniou: Trump’s Executive Orders Build Toward Dictatorial “Unitary Executive” Power: The president’s power grab over federal agencies is the latest example of his use of the controversial legal theory.

March 7.   Jan-Werner Müller: Trump is concentrating power. A key faction of judges supports the idea.

March 20.   The New York Times: How Trump Is Trying to Consolidate Power Over Courts, Congress and More. President Trump’s expansive interpretation of presidential power has become the defining characteristic of his second term.

March 24.   NPR: Did the unitary executive theory pave the way for President Trump’s second term?

July 9.  Adam Bonica: How to Dismantle a Democracy, Legally. The unitary executive theory is a masterclass in autocratic legalism.

July 31.   Steve Inskeep: ‘Unitary executive theory’ argues to restore the president’s authority.

November 9.   David Smith: ‘Godfather of the Trump presidency’: the direct through-line from Dick Cheney to Donald Trump. A proponent of the unitary executive theory, Cheney helped expand the vast presidential powers Trump enjoys today.

September 24.   Jamelle Bouie: Trump’s Dream of Infinite Presidential Power.

News: 2024

December 3.   Marjorie Cohn: Trump Is Using “Unitary Executive” Theory in His Bid to Amass Supreme Power. Trump is claiming total executive power that would eclipse the legislative “co-equal” branch of government.