What can and can't the president do — and how do we know? The framers of the U.S. Constitution left the powers of the executive branch powers deliberately vague, and in doing so opened the door for every president to decide how much power they could claim. Over time, that's become quite a lot. This episode originally ran in 2025 and has been updated with new material.

Guest:

Andrew Rudalevige, professor of government at Bowdoin College.

If you would like to read more about the topic:

• The New Imperial Presidency: Renewing Presidential Power After Watergate by Andrew Rudalevige
• By Executive Order: Bureaucratic Management and the Limits of Presidential Power by Andrew Rudalevige.
• Crisis and Command: A History of Executive Power from George Washington to George W. Bush by John Yoo
• FDR Goes to War: How Expanded Executive Power, Spiraling National Debt, and Restricted Civil Liberties Shaped Wartime America by Burton W. Folsom and Anita Folsom
• The Cult of the Presidency: America's Dangerous Devotion to Executive Power by Gene Healy

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