Critics of Donald Trump have expressed their concern after he seemingly breached his presidential oath during a press discussion in the Oval Office.
This incident follows a previous suggestion by the President to contravene the Constitution in order to expel illegal immigrants without a trial. On Truth Social, he claimed, “we cannot give everyone a trial, because to do so would take, without exaggeration, 200 years.”
Recently, Trump addressed the media regarding the situation in Chicago and the possibility of deploying the National Guard. He had previously mobilized the National Guard in Washington D.C. to address what he termed as “crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse,” and CNN reported that Chicago and New York might be next on his list.
In response to Trump’s comments about crime in Illinois, state representatives, including Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, have spoken out. Pritzker stated, “there is no emergency… there is no insurrection.”
In response, Trump criticized Pritzker, saying, “You have a guy in Illinois, the governor of Illinois, saying that crime has been much better in Chicago recently and Trump is a dictator.
“Most people are saying, ‘If you call him a dictator, if he stops crime, he can be whatever he wants’ — I am not a dictator, by the way.”
He further mentioned that he would have greater respect for Pritzker if he approved a National Guard deployment.
Some perceived Trump’s comments as a breach of his presidential oath when he asserted, “Not that I don’t have…the right to do anything I want to do.”
“I’m the president of the United States. If I think our country is in danger — and it is in danger in these cities — I can do it,” he claimed. “No problem going in and solving, you know, his [Pritzker’s] difficulties. But it would be nice if they’d call and they say, ‘Would you do it?’”
Governor Pritzker responded on social media, stating: “No, Donald. You can’t do whatever you want.”
The Harry S. Truman Library clarifies that a president cannot independently make or interpret laws, declare war, allocate federal funds, or appoint Cabinet members or Supreme Court Justices without Senate approval.
The presidential oath commits the President to “faithfully execute the Office of President” and to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
By claiming the right to “do anything I want to do, I’m the President of the United States,” Trump contradicts the principle that no one, including the President, is above the law, and undermines his oath to faithfully execute laws enacted by Congress.
Pritzker convened a press conference, asserting, “There is no emergency in Chicago that calls for armed military intervention. There is no insurrection.”
He further stated, “Donald Trump wants to use the military to occupy a US city, punish his dissidents and score political points. If this were happening in any other country, we would have no trouble calling it what it is — a dangerous power grab.”
Illinois senators have also criticized the notion of deploying troops.
Senator Dick Durbin described Trump’s statements as ‘purely political theatre’ and aligned with Pritzker’s assessment, categorizing it as ‘nothing more than a power grab.’
Retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel and Senator Tammy Duckworth labeled Trump’s remarks as ‘deeply disturbing’ and ‘un-American.’
She issued a statement calling it ‘yet another unwarranted, unwanted and unjust move straight out of the authoritarian’s playbook that will only undermine our military’s readiness and ultimately weaken our national security.’
One commentator on X described Trump’s declaration as ‘an extraordinary statement that functions as a complete and total repudiation of the US Constitution.’
“The entire document was designed with the specific, singular purpose of preventing any one person from having ‘the right to do anything I want.’ This isn’t an interpretation of presidential power; it’s a public declaration of its abolition,” they noted.
“Actually, he doesn’t. He has specific limits placed on his authority,” another user added.
A critic remarked, “Trump treats the Constitution like a piñata – whacking it until ‘anything I want’ spills out. Chicago’s crime plunges 31%, yet he declares martial law lite? Solving nonexistent crises is this admin’s only growth industry,” while another argued: “Trump is right. As the president, he is the commander in chief and can deploy the military anywhere.”
“Actually, you do not have the right to do anything you want,” insisted one poster. “While I support most of your policies, I wish you would rein in the rhetoric and the personal insults. Try being a little more like a statesman.
“You might get some more cooperation from the other side of the aisle.”