Trump is clearing out all executive branch oversight. He's literally banned immigration to the US. He has stolen money Congress has appropriated to build his wall. He's investigating his enemies.

DC: "whew, good thing he's not accumulating any power" https://twitter.com/ezraklein/status/1262769594751528960

DC wonks all think "power" means policymaking authority, but what Trump has done is transform the federal government into a mafia-like network of cronies that will do whatever he wants. It's like they're blind to it, because they think policy is the crowning purpose of government

The reason Trump isn't using this power to accomplish policy goals is that the Trumpist GOP mostly doesn't have ideology. It's a party of personal fealty, like Peronism was to Peron, primarily dedicated to ensuring that adherents retain power. That is its single overriding goal.

Once you recognize that the core ideological goal of Trumpism is "seize control of government to ensure that it can only be used to Trump's benefit," you realize it's succeeding. The courts, the legislative branch, the agencies, the national security state - all toothless now.

The way you know Trump is powerful is that he constantly does awful and insane stuff in full view, and there's no institution left in the country that can muster itself to genuinely threaten him. He really could kill someone on Fifth Avenue without consequence. Immunity is power.

Could a weak leader torch the government, the Constitution, and the economy without being pushed out? Instead, the hapless opposition just says "Just you wait until November, buddy!" - hoping that our tradition of elections will succeed where they, and everyone else, failed.