At several points during the State of the Union on Tuesday, Donald Trump lashed out against congressional Democrats with jeers and insults, as if he were auditioning to play a knockoff Andrew Dice Clay, not speaking as the president of the United States.
In one of those moments, Trump issued an ultimatum: “If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support: The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.” No one on the Democratic side of the aisle stood up, and Trump, as he no doubt intended, told them they should be “ashamed” of themselves.
But I want to focus on the substance of this claim for a moment, that “the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.” Compare this with the presidential oath of office: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
Or compare it with the oath required of federal judges, justices and members of Congress: “I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, so help me God.”
What these oaths say explicitly is that the first duty of an officer of the United States — from the president to a justice of the Supreme Court to each of the 435 members of the House of Representatives — is to the Constitution of the United States. This is as it should be: The Constitution represents the sovereign authority of the people of the United States, who formed the nation so that they could enjoy republican self-government under a “more perfect union.”
Everything that a president or a Congress or a justice does must be set against this obligation, which is to say, against an obligation to the preservation of American democracy. You cannot sacrifice self-government on an altar built from your own interests, concerns and obsessions.
I do not think that Trump — or whoever wrote that line — was thinking deeply about its implications. But it is striking that in the midst of spewing partisan invective, the president affirmed the central value of his administration: the idea that there are things worth more than either the Constitution or the preservation of American democracy, and that those things revolve around the removal and expulsion of foreign others.
What I Wrote
My column this week was on the state of Trump’s presidency — and the actual state of the union.
What Trump has, a little more than one year into his second term, is a failed presidency: one that has crashed on the rocks of his ambition to supplant constitutional government with that of his will. Yes, he has done a tremendous amount of damage. And yes, he has degraded American democracy to the point that it is on life support. But he’s failed to make himself a dictator, and the public is poised to punish his party for his transgressions.
I also joined my colleagues Michelle Cottle and David French for our weekly discussion on The Opinions podcast, and I recorded a short video giving my immediate analysis of the president’s speech on Tuesday.
Now Reading
Adam Serwer on the nation’s crisis of elite impunity for The Atlantic.
Christopher Benfey on Thomas Jefferson and James Madison’s 1791 road trip and what they discovered about the United States, for The New York Review of Books.
Geraldo Cadava on the hidden history of Native American enslavement for The New Yorker.
An interview with historian Lee Mordechai on the ongoing destruction of Gaza in Jacobin magazine.
Samantha Hancox-Li on the death of the “rules-based order” for Liberal Currents.
Photo of the Week
I was in New Orleans recently and had a little bit of time to walk around and take pictures. Here is one that I happened to like.
Now Eating: Butter-Soy Chicken and Asparagus Stir-Fry
I made this twice over the past week and it was great. I might go a little easy on the butter but otherwise, no adjustments. Recipe from NYT Cooking.
Ingredients
For the chicken
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1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (10 to 12 ounces), or 2 smaller chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each), thinly sliced
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1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
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½ teaspoon baking soda
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¼ teaspoon sugar
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¼ teaspoon salt
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1 teaspoon soy sauce
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Black pepper
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1 tablespoon vegetable oil
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1 tablespoon egg white
For the stir-fry
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1 tablespoon vegetable oil
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¼ pound asparagus (4 to 5 medium stalks), cut into 1-inch pieces
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6 large button mushrooms, quartered (about 4 ounces)
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½ red bell pepper, sliced
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Salt and black pepper
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3 tablespoons butter
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1 tablespoon soy sauce
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1 lemon wedge
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Toasted sesame seeds, for serving (optional)
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Cooked rice, for serving
Directions
Marinate the chicken: In a bowl, combine chicken, cornstarch, baking soda, sugar, salt, soy sauce and a few cracks of black pepper. Add the oil and 1 tablespoon of egg white. Using a spoon, mix until well combined and the chicken appears glossy and velvety. Cover bowl and refrigerate chicken for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
When chicken is marinated, place a colander in your sink. In a saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Carefully add marinated chicken to the boiling water. Use tongs or chopsticks to separate the pieces (some egg white may float to the surface). Cook for 90 seconds, then drain the chicken in the colander. Shake the colander to remove excess liquid (the chicken won’t be fully cooked yet).
Start the stir-fry: Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high. When the oil is hot (it should flow quickly when you tilt the pan), add the asparagus, mushrooms and bell pepper and stir-fry until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer chicken from the colander to the skillet and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir-fry constantly for 1 minute.
Push the chicken and vegetables to one side of the skillet and reduce heat to medium-low. In an empty area of the skillet, add the butter, allowing it to melt and sizzle. Then pour the soy sauce onto the butter and stir to combine. Push the chicken and vegetables into the sauce and stir-fry for 30 seconds. (The sauce should cling to the chicken.)
Transfer to a platter and squeeze juice from the lemon wedge over top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if using. Serve immediately with rice.
The post Guess What Trump Values Above the Constitution appeared first on New York Times.
