Donald Trump has indeed employed presidential powers in ways that break from modern norms, often targeting political opponents, institutions, and critics. Here are key examples of how his approach differed from previous presidents:
1. Weaponizing the Justice Department
- Trump repeatedly pressured the DOJ to investigate political rivals, including Hillary Clinton (“Lock her up” chants) and later Joe Biden.
- He publicly demanded prosecutions of critics, such as James Comey and Andrew McCabe.
- Unlike past presidents, who avoided direct interference, Trump openly sought to use the DOJ as a tool against adversaries.
2. Pardons for Political Allies
- Trump granted clemency to loyalists (Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, Steve Bannon) convicted of crimes related to his administration.
- This contrasted with traditional pardons, which were more often based on humanitarian or bipartisan considerations.
3. Attacking the “Deep State” & Purges
- He framed career civil servants as enemies, firing officials who opposed him (e.g., inspectors general, FBI Director Comey).
- Previous presidents typically worked within bureaucratic structures rather than vilifying them.
4. Pressure on State & Local Officials
- Trump urged Georgia officials to “find” votes to overturn the 2020 election—an unprecedented intervention in state elections.
- He also pressured Ukraine to investigate Biden, leading to his first impeachment.
5. Retaliatory Tactics via Social Media & Policy
- He used Twitter to threaten companies (e.g., Amazon), journalists, and lawmakers who criticized him.
- Revoking security clearances (John Brennan) and targeting funding (Punishing “sanctuary cities”) were overtly punitive.
6. Undermining Election Legitimacy
- No modern president before Trump refused to concede or spread baseless fraud claims to delegitimize results.
- His actions directly led to the January 6 Capitol riot.
Why This Stands Out
Past presidents (including Nixon) generally observed guardrails between politics and law enforcement. Trump’s willingness to openly target foes—using federal power, pardons, and propaganda—marked a stark departure from post-Watergate norms of restraint.
In just 10 weeks in office, Donald Trump has imposed his will on perceived adversaries in business, politics, the media and allied nations by leveraging power in ways no other modern U.S. president has tried.
His administration has sought the arrest and deportation of student protesters, withheld federal funds from colleges, ostracized law firms tied to his political opponents, threatened judges and tried to pressure journalists. At the same time Trump has downsized the federal government dramatically and purged it of workers who could stand in his way.
Central to this effort has been Trump’s use of policy-making executive orders to target opponents as never before. He has been unafraid to employ lawsuits, public threats and the power of the federal purse to bring institutions to heel.
“What unites all these efforts is Trump’s desire to shut down every potential source of resistance to the MAGA agenda and to his personal power,” said Peter Shane, a law professor at New York University.
Some targets have rushed to placate the president, a few have fought back and many are still trying to figure out how to respond. Many of Trump’s actions are being challenged in courts, where some judges have tried to slow him down.
The stunning speed and breadth of the Republican president’s actions have caught Democrats, public-service unions, CEOs and the legal profession off guard.
Trump’s supporters say he is simply using the full reach of his presidency to achieve the goals he set as a candidate.
“He’s laid out these broad battle lines, whether it’s with people that he thinks have tried to ruin him personally, whether it’s with people he thinks have tried to ruin Western civilization,” said Republican strategist Scott Jennings, a longtime adviser to Senator Mitch McConnell. “Everything he said he was going to do on the campaign, he’s doing.”
Trump’s aims are not just political. His actions show he wants to reorder American society with an all-powerful executive at the top, where financial, political and cultural institutions carry his stamp and where opposition is either co-opted or curtailed. With a compliant Congress controlled by his party and a U.S. Supreme Court dominated by conservatives, Trump is operating with fewer checks on his power than any of his modern-day predecessors.
Trump has attempted to subdue and cajole his adversaries on an almost-daily basis, backed by the fearsome might of the law enforcement and regulatory agencies at his command. He has often succeeded.
He managed to wring concessions out of several of his targets, including storied Columbia University, powerful law firms and corporate titans such as Meta and Disney. All of them settled with the White House rather than endure the pressure, surrendering some independence and setting what some view as damaging precedents.
