This is an adapted excerpt from the Nov. 11 episode of “Deadline: White House.”
Donald Trump is already testing the limits of his control over Republicans in Congress. On Sunday, the president-elect demanded that anyone running to be the next Senate majority leader allow him to bypass the traditional confirmation process and let him make appointments to his Cabinet without approval.
Three things stand out about this move from Trump: No. 1, this is his first shot across the bow of any idea of checks and balances.
Trump wants unitary control over the government and absolute loyalty. And Republicans might just give it to him.
No. 2, Trump is demanding absolute loyalty from the Republican-majority Senate and its members. He does not consider Congress a co-equal branch of government. This is his first loyalty test. He’s telling Republican senators to bend the knee even before he takes office. And of course, Sen. Rick Scott, who’s vying to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell as leader, was the first to assume that position.
No. 3, despite Trump’s victory and a Republican Senate majority, his push for recess appointments means he will likely try to install people in the Cabinet who are perhaps even too extreme for his own party.
Now, I think the default position that we should have here is that the Republican Party will always disappoint us and will always cave in. But having said that, Trump obviously has some concerns about what would happen if he selected someone like Richard Grenell or Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to a top position. Trump knows there may be some people in his orbit who are just too toxic, even for a Republican majority. But the most interesting thing here is, how will Senate Republicans react? Because the Senate’s power of advice and consent is one of the Constitution’s most important functions. It’s a key power. Senators aren’t just potted plants; they don’t work for the president. They work for the American people. For the Republican Senate to come in and pre-emptively surrender to Trump would not only be a stunning dereliction of duty but also an indication that they no longer take their co-equal branch of government status seriously. The question we’ve kept asking over the last eight years is when will Republicans finally draw the line? Trump wants unitary control over the government and absolute loyalty. And Republicans might just give it to him. The Founding Fathers could have never imagined the Senate would do something like that.
Charlie Sykes is an MS NOW contributor and the author of the newsletter "To the Contrary."
Allison Detzel is an editor/producer for MS NOW.
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