Trump knee-caps America's institutions
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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
President Trump is gradually testing, stretching and gutting the independence of America's major institutions, leaving few stones unturned in his pursuit of unchecked power.
Why it matters: In Trump's vision of America, authority flows only from his consent. The firing of Fed governor Lisa Cook — a first in modern history — shows that even the central bank's legendary independence is no longer untouchable.
The big picture: In just seven months, Trump has consolidated vast power by following a simple playbook: Capture what he can, contest what he can't and punish those who resist.
- "I have the right to do anything I want to do. I'm the president of the United States," Trump told reporters Tuesday when discussing his threat to send the National Guard into Chicago.
1. Captured institutions: Trump has exerted decisive control over every inch of the executive branch, leaving little pretense of independence anywhere in the federal bureaucracy.
- Justice Department: Trump has declared himself — not the attorney general — as America's "chief law enforcement officer." He's stacked the DOJ with loyalists who now are leading criminal investigations into Democrats, Obama-era intelligence officials and other Trump critics.
- Intelligence community: Security clearances have been stripped from alleged leakers, and intelligence staff have been cut dramatically. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth even fired the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency after a preliminary assessment by the DIA suggested Trump's Iran strikes were less successful than he claimed.
- Independent agencies: An executive order moved all regulatory bodies under White House control, erasing decades of autonomy and enabling the gutting of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and U.S. Agency for International Development. Trump has fired more than 20 inspectors general responsible for internal oversight, as well as the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Washington, D.C.: Trump has seized control — literally and figuratively — over much of the nation's capital, deploying the National Guard, taking over the Kennedy Center and threatening the Smithsonian over what he deems "anti-American" content, such as images of undocumented immigrants crossing the border.
2. Contested battlegrounds: These arenas face constant interference, but Trump hasn't yet achieved full capture.
- Military: Trump has fired top generals and required new four-star nominees to meet with him. He has delivered highly partisan speeches in historically apolitical military settings, and ordered the creation of "specialized" National Guard units to be used for domestic law enforcement.
- Congress: The White House has eroded the legislature's core powers on tariffs, spending and war — sidelining lawmakers with emergency declarations or outright defiance. Trump has bullied dissenters and demanded Texas redraw its congressional map to add five GOP seats.
- Academia and law: The Trump administration has extracted over $1 billion in settlements from elite universities and law firms, weaponizing the federal government's enormous funding leverage to browbeat liberal power centers.
- Corporate America: Trump casts himself as the chairman of all boards, routinely meddling in the private sector with threats of tariffs, harassment and regulatory action.
3. Remaining resistance: These are the institutions that still act as counterweights, even if Trump is trying to kneecap them.
- Courts: Federal judges have frozen dozens of Trump's most aggressive policies and spoken out against intimidation. Still, the White House has escalated attacks on "rogue" judges, testing whether the judiciary can withstand sustained pressure.
- Media: Major outlets continue to investigate and expose contradictions in Trump's presidency, even as he curtails access, threatens regulatory action against broadcasters, and promotes loyalist voices in the press corps.
- Democratic Party: Despite their unpopularity, Democrats remain a legitimate opposition force — using congressional hearings, lawsuits and state governments to challenge Trump. White House official Stephen Miller called the party a "domestic extremist organization" on Monday, laying the groundwork for a potential crackdown ahead of the 2026 midterms.
What they're saying: "The President's only retribution is success and historic achievements for the country," White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement.
- "While the Biden administration corruptly weaponized our justice system to persecute political rivals and censor Americans' free speech, the Trump administration will continue to legally use every lever of power granted to the Executive Branch by the Constitution and Congress to finally put Americans and America First."
The bottom line: Every institution — whether captured, contested or resisting — operates under Trump's shadow.
