Trump’s Second Term: A New Political Reality

When Elmer Eric Schattschneider wrote that "a new policy creates a new politics," he underscored an enduring truth, one that is unfolding before us. President Donald Trump’s second term is proving this point, as his administration systematically dismantles key norms and structures that have long defined American democracy. These changes are not merely temporary disruptions; they are fundamentally reshaping the foundations of government in ways that may endure well beyond his time in office.

Within weeks of his return to the White House, Trump issued over 80 executive orders. While executive orders are a standard tool for presidential action, the scope and implications of his directives signal a deeper transformation. Key among them was the establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by Elon Musk, a private billionaire now granted access to critical federal infrastructure. Musk’s role, which includes overseeing government personnel management and Treasury operations, represents an unprecedented delegation of power to an unelected individual whose private business interests intersect with national policy in ways that raise serious ethical and security concerns.

Trump has also moved aggressively to consolidate executive power by purging officials who do not demonstrate unwavering personal loyalty. Inspectors general, officials tasked with independent oversight of government operations, have been dismissed without cause. Career civil servants have been sidelined in favor of political appointees who prioritize allegiance over expertise. This pattern, described by scholars as ungoverned, is not merely administrative restructuring, it is a deliberate erosion of institutional competence in favor of centralized, personality-driven rule.

The American system of government is built on a balance of powers, with Congress and the judiciary serving as counterweights to executive authority. However, Trump’s second term has pushed this system to its limits. With both houses of Congress under Republican control, legislative oversight has largely collapsed. Attempts to withhold appropriated funds, effectively defying Congress’s power of the purse, signal a direct challenge to constitutional authority.

The judiciary remains the last significant institutional check. While Trump has reshaped the federal bench through a high volume of judicial appointments, courts have still blocked some of his most overtly unlawful actions. But his strategy has been to act first and dare the courts to stop him later. As legal battles drag on, the practical effect is a shift in governance norms, legally dubious policies become entrenched through sheer inertia.

Trump’s "America First" doctrine has escalated into full-scale economic and diplomatic isolationism. He has renewed tariff wars with China, the European Union, Canada, and Mexico, while openly discussing the annexation of Canadian territories rich in natural resources. Such rhetoric has already begun to reshape North American political culture, with a growing number of Canadians viewing the U.S. as a geopolitical threat. The economic fallout from these tensions has also rippled into domestic markets, worsening inflation and disrupting supply chains.

Internationally, Trump’s policies have weakened long standing alliances. His administration’s withdrawal from key international agreements and his hostility toward NATO have signaled a retreat from cooperative global leadership. The decision to delegate military planning to media personalities, such as appointing former Fox News host Pete Hegseth to head the Pentagon, has further eroded credibility among U.S. allies.

Beyond immediate policy changes, Trump’s second term is forging a new political culture, one that prioritizes loyalty over legality, executive authority over democratic norms, and ideological purity over functional governance. These shifts are unlikely to be easily undone. Policies that favor personal networks over institutional processes tend to become "sticky," meaning that even future administrations may struggle to reverse them. The erosion of independent expertise within government, combined with the precedent of centralized presidential control, risks creating a political environment where future leaders, regardless of party, govern through coercion rather than consensus.

As Winston Churchill once noted, "To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy can be the act of a single day." The dismantling of American governance currently underway is not merely a short-term political shift; it is a structural transformation with consequences that will echo for generations. The question is no longer whether Trump is changing the American government; it is whether the government, as it was once known, will survive at all.