Donald Trump is living his best political life: Republicans control Congress, Republicans control the White House, and he controls the Republicans. It’s the kind of power alignment that makes astrologers weep with joy. With such cosmic convenience, you’d think Trump would glide through governance like butter on a hot biscuit.
Yet here we are, watching him issue tariffs like Oprah giving out free cars—“You get a tariff! You get a tariff! Everyone gets a tariff!”—all without bothering to ask Congress, the actual landlord of trade policy.
Under the U.S. Constitution (that pesky document Trump treats like hotel terms and conditions), only Congress can regulate external trade. The only time a president can bypass them is in an emergency. You know—wars, pandemics, alien invasions, Beyoncé announcing retirement… actual emergencies.
But Trump decided that the biggest emergency facing America today is… his desire to tax foreign goods before lunch.
The Trump Logic (Don’t Try This at Home)
Let’s break this down:
Does Trump have a Republican Congress ready to rubber-stamp his tariff obsession? ✅
Would they approve it faster than Marjorie Taylor Greene can tweet a conspiracy theory? ✅
Does he still ignore Congress and do it illegally anyway? ✅✅✅
It’s like having the front door wide open but still choosing to break in through the window. Head first.
One must ask: Did Trump genuinely misunderstand his job description? Did he think “President of the United States” was just a fancier name for “CEO of Trump Enterprises – Government Branch”?
At this point, we must consider that Trump may believe the U.S. government works like his business ventures:
Constitution = suggestion leaflet
Congress = customer service hotline (ignored)
Checks and balances = an accounting problem for the next bankruptcy
Has Trump Found a Governance Glitch?
This isn’t just chaos for the sake of headlines (though headlines do nourish him the way sunlight nourishes plants). Trump may have discovered a cheat code within the U.S. system: simply shout “National Security!” before doing whatever you want.
It’s the presidential equivalent of shouting “Shotgun!” to claim the front seat.
If this works, future presidents won’t need Congress at all. They’ll just need a thesaurus entry that vaguely rhymes with “security.”
Want to ban cheese imports? “Camembert poses a national security threat.”
Want a public holiday for your birthday? “National morale emergency.”
Want to tariff the UK because the King didn’t invite you to tea? “Transatlantic sovereignty threat requiring decisive tariff response.”
The Real Emergency?
Not trade.
Not China.
Not even inflation.
The real emergency is that Congress—fully powered, fully Republican, fully awake (allegedly)—won’t say:
“Mr. President, the Constitution is not a colouring book.”
Trump didn’t need to break the rules. Congress would have passed his tariff fantasies with the enthusiasm of children on Christmas morning.
Yet he still chose the illegal express lane, which tells us one of two things:
A) He can’t tell the difference between running a country and running a family business out of a gold-plated lobby.
B) He can tell the difference—he just prefers the family business model, because no one there says “No.”
America, Update Your Job Description
Unless Congress decides to stop acting like Trump’s fan club and start acting like an actual branch of government, the United States may soon replace its founding motto with a more accurate one:
“Checks by taxpayers.
Balances not included.
Assembly required.”
The Founding Fathers didn’t fight the British monarchy so America could create a spray-tanned version at home.
But if this continues, future presidents won’t campaign on policies. They’ll just campaign on their ability to shout “Emergency!” with a straight face.
Centre for Nigeria Progress 