Historian: Trump’s Idea of an ‘Emergency’ Defies Historical Meaning
Stephen Henderson speaks with presidential historian Jeffrey Engel on Detroit Today.
President Donald Trump says there is an emergency at the southern border, and that he should be able to go around Congress to build the wall he wants. He will sign the bill that Republicans and Democrats reached a compromise on border security to avoid another government shutdown.
However, because that bill does not include Trump’s wall, he will do it himself.
Is there really a crisis at the southern border? One that justifies unilateral executive action? There is not much of a consensus about that — and it’s unclear what could be done, in Congress or the courts, to stop the president.
On Detroit Today, Stephen Henderson speaks with Jeffrey Engel, a presidential historian, who discusses this topic in relation to history.
Engel is the founding director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University. He is also the co-author of the book “Impeachment: An American History,” and is currently writing, “Seeking Monsters to Destroy: How America Goes to War, from Jefferson to Obama.”
Click on the audio player above to listen in on this conversation.
