Could Donald Trump stretch the power of the presidency?

Americast

BBC

Politics, Government, News

4.2 • 2.8K Ratings

🗓️ 14 February 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the first weeks of his second term, President Donald Trump has wasted no time in using Executive Orders to suspend all new asylum claims, freeze government hiring and spending, strip back agencies established by Congress, and offer a buyout deal for thousands of federal workers. So far, the courts have been the only substantive roadblocks to Trump’s agenda, but is the President ready to defy the courts? The White House has accused the media of "fear mongering the American people".

As Trump pushes the limits of presidential power - and with legal challenges from Democrats, unions and legal groups, is the U.S. heading for a constitutional crisis? If Donald Trump is willing to break the law, experts are asking who will stand up for the democratic system of government set up nearly 250 years ago?

HOSTS:

- Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter - Sarah Smith, North America Editor - Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent

GUEST:

- Elie Honig, CNN Senior Legal Analyst

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This episode was made by George Dabby with Rufus Gray and Catherine Fusillo. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, AmeriCasters. There are more of you now with us than ever before, and we'd like to try to keep it that way.
0:06.6	So do subscribe and tell people if you're enjoying what you're hearing. Now, on with the episode.
0:13.4	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:16.8	Well, he did tell us, didn't he, that he wanted to be dictator for a day?
0:27.2	Is Donald Trump morphing into something rather more than that, a dictator for more than a day?
0:31.5	In other words, is there a constitutional crisis in the United States?
0:32.9	Welcome to AmeriCast.
0:38.4	AmeriCast from BBC News News God spared my life for a reason
0:41.5	Only when it is dark enough
0:44.4	Can you see the stars
0:46.1	A star is born Elon
0:47.8	I'm not just MAGA
0:49.1	I'm dark Gothic MAGA
0:51.7	This is what happens when the machine
0:53.9	comes after you.
0:55.1	I'm terrified for this country and I'm so hurt that America let this happen.
0:58.9	I think that we just witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America.
1:16.8	Hello, it's Anthony in Washington, D.C.
1:20.7	Hi, it's Sarah here, sitting beside Anthony in our Washington BBC Bureau.
1:29.0	And it's Justin in the worldwide headquarters of AmeriCast in London, England, where I have been interviewing Ellie Honig, who is the senior legal affairs analyst for CNN, and that is, of course, because there is something of a constitutional crisis,
1:34.9	at least being talked about in the US at the moment. I should say before we go any further,
1:40.3	though, that the time is quarter past three in the afternoon here in London on Thursday.
	...

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