Opinion
By Paschos Mandravelis
In the United States, they’re still trying to figure out what went wrong. Why did the system of checks and balances fail so badly that they ended up with this kind of president and their democracy in such a state? They’re combing through every detail of their history, the legacies of 45 presidents, even the State of the Union address, the famous “Union address.”
For popular host Bill Maher, the speech itself is unnecessary, maybe even dangerous. It echoes the speeches delivered by monarchs to the British Parliament, back when Americans took up arms to get rid of George III. True, the U.S. Constitution requires that “the President shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient” (Article II, Section 3). But that doesn’t mean it has to happen every year. George Washington delivered the first one in 1790. Thomas Jefferson never gave one at all; he sent his assessments in writing, as did his successors for nearly a century and a half. Even modern presidents like Eisenhower, Nixon, and Carter submitted written messages.
One telling sign of the “state of the Republic”: Washington’s first address lasted 10 minutes, just 833 words. Donald Trump’s, the day before yesterday, ran one hour and 48 minutes and stretched to 10,820 words. The trouble, Maher says, is that these speeches have turned into presidential wish lists, or worse, into marching orders for what the legislative branch is supposed to do.
The real danger, he argues, is that Americans have come to believe the president is responsible for everything and sets the national agenda. But that’s nowhere in the democracy’s instruction manual, the Constitution. “Article I: All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States.” Not “mostly.” Not “unless the president has a great idea.” All. (…) Congress alone has the power to make laws, declare war, levy taxes and tariffs, and approve the appointment of cabinet members and judges. (…) It is responsible for structuring the other branches of government” (Real Time, Feb. 21, 2026).
And what, according to this democratic “instruction manual,” is the president supposed to do? Exactly what the name of the executive branch suggests: execute, carry out as effectively as possible what Congress enacts.
Rookies. Fortunately, over here we settled these questions long ago.
