Trump’s Remaking of Unilateral Politics

ABSTRACT Unilateral activities permeate almost every aspect of Donald Trump’s second presidency. While his use of these tools bears some resemblance to that of past presidents, he departs from established practices in two critical ways. The first difference concerns the sheer audacity of his actions. By employing unilateral directives with little regard for long-standing legal constraints, Trump—more than any of his predecessors—routinely and brazenly defies constitutional and statutory boundaries. Second, his unilateral actions reorient the traditional relationship between power and policy. Whereas past presidents viewed power as a means to advance policy, Trump routinely treats policies as staging grounds for redefining power relations.