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Topics: Donald Trump, US News
Phoebe Tonks
Donald Trump has boldly declared that he believes the only limits imposed on his power as a world leader are those enforced by his ‘own morality.’
The US president made the surprising statements in an interview with the New York Times published on Thursday, which revealed he didn’t feel beholden to any other check on his power, including Congress or international law.
Describing how he felt he possessed unlimited power, Trump revealed the one thing that stopped him from letting his power go to his head, as he told the publication: "There is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.”
When asked directly about whether he would continue to work within the remit of international law, he bluntly responded: "I don’t need international law.”
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Yet he did concede that while in office, he would still continue to be beholden to it.
While this may strike alarm bells for some, the president insisted he didn’t have any intentions of ‘hurting anyone’; he simply wanted to stop the US from being beholden to certain international guidelines that didn’t align with American interests.
It isn’t the first time Trump has seemingly flouted international law in recent days, with expressions of interest in ‘purchasing Greenland’, a sovereign nation under Danish jurisdiction, as well as his controversial removal of Nicolás Maduro from Venezuela to stand trial for drug crimes in the US.
The latter in particular has raised serious questions about the legality of the president’s actions, as he sent military forces into a foreign nation outside of US jurisdiction to capture and detain Maduro.
His subsequent decision to take command of the country for an unspecified amount of time has also earned stark criticism, with some even accusing Trump of piracy.
Further tensions have also been raised due to some of the president’s language choices when discussing his dealings with foreign nations, with Cuba and Colombia in particular taking issue with his threats to give them the same treatment he has bestowed upon Venezuela.
Under normal circumstances, the president is meant to be held to account by Congress, yet in Trump’s case, he has continued to act and enact official duties without the formal approval of the House of Representatives or the Senate.
As per the New York Bar Association, his unprovoked use of military force to remove Maduro ‘violated both the Constitution, which reserves the power to declare war to Congress, and the War Powers Act of 1973, which makes clear that the president may not authorize military actions, except in defense of military personnel or facilities, without Congressional approval.’
The president’s actions also violated the United Nations Charter, which prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.