According to Hubert (2012) imperial presidency denotes a state whereby the president exercises powers beyond the limits stipulated by the constitution. In the United States, there has been an increasing concern over the threat of imperial presidency due to the seemingly uncontrolled presidential powers. In simple terms, many people fear that the president wields too much control over what the constitution previously provided. Below are some of the reasons why the U.S presidency has overstepped its powers.

As per the U.S constitution, the president can send troops to war only with the approval of Congress. However, in recent years, U.S presidents have overreached their powers and sent troops to multiple parts of the world even when there are no emergencies. As Dean & Hill (2018) stated, the recent military campaigns in Iraq, Libya, and other parts of the world are sanctioned relatively by the executive. This situation stems from an assumption that the president has inherent powers to declare war.

Additionally, most people think that the U.S presidency is loaded with numerous responsibilities that make the president excessively powerful. For instance, the U.S president is the head of state, director of the executive, chief legislator, and commander of the armed forces. Alternatively, the president handles international negations on behalf of the country and is also the party leader. In my view, all these duties present seamless powers to the presidency to reigns over domestic and foreign affairs.

Undoubtedly, the creation of presidential executive orders is perhaps the most crucial risk factor in creating an imperial presidency in the United States. According to….., executive orders do not exist within the realms of the constitution. Initially, presidents rarely wrote executive orders. Recently, U.S presidents exceedingly issue executive orders to appoint executive officers, federal judges, and envoys (Drezner, 2020). In my view, executive orders assume the legislature’s duties by making the executive responsible for making laws. Besides, the pocket veto’s existence demonstrates how the presidency has a significant impact on legislative processes.

As stated, the presidency represents the country in forging regional and international treaties. In maintaining the secrets concerning treaties, the executive was granted a confidentiality privilege between the president and the advisers. This provision was primarily intended to confine knowledge about the country’s dealings among particular individuals. In as much as it is beneficial, the U.S presidents have severally used the privilege to silence advisors who may want to testify against their actions.

Lastly, there is proof that U.S presidents have overreached their mandates and abused power in the past and the present. According to Bae (2017), one of the main reasons presidents exceed constitutional limitations is because of the precedence of events that support their actions. For instance, Abraham Lincoln suspended the habeas corpus-granting military commanders to seize and detain perceived dissenters. With such precedence, it should not be a surprise when presidents declare military strikes without consulting the relevant rams of government.

In conclusion, the U.S presidency enjoys unlimited powers contrary to what the constitution stipulates. In my opinion, the presidency has increasingly gained powers in recent decades due to executive powers and privileges. Besides, presidents overlook constitutional limits by drawing inspiration from preceding presidents who overstepped their powers. Lastly, the link between the presidency, media, and popular culture has created a notion of a powerful presidency that overshadows other arms of the government.

Reference

Bae, M. B. (2017). Tackling the Imperial Presidency: The Case for Constitutional Amendment. Global Asia, 12(2), 24-28.

Dean, R., & Hill, S. (2018). The Imperial Presidency: Imperative or Dangerous?.

Drezner, D. W. (2020). Immature leadership: Donald Trump and the American presidency. International Affairs, 96(2), 383-400.

Herbert J. (2012) Revisiting Arthur Schlesinger’s The Imperial Presidency: Richard Nixon, George W. Bush, and Executive Power. In: Genovese M.A., Morgan I.W. (eds) Watergate Remembered. The Evolving American Presidency Series. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137011985_2