Hillary Clinton shared a timely reminder on X this week: “This is your regular reminder that executive orders are not royal decrees. Because America has no king.”
Her post comes at a time when conversations about presidential power are heating up.
President Donald Trump, now in his second term, has been using executive orders aggressively to push his agenda, sometimes stretching the limits of presidential authority.
Trump’s Power Grab Raises Concerns
In an opinion piece for Newsweek, Trevor Potter, president of Campaign Legal Center and former Federal Election Commission chairman, warned that Trump’s “promise to be a ‘dictator on day one’ was not an empty threat.”
Potter wrote Trump’s actions amount to “the most egregious presidential power grab in modern American history.”
Thanks to Republican control of Congress, a conservative Supreme Court majority, and wealthy backers like Elon Musk, Trump has been able to issue a flurry of executive orders without much immediate resistance.
According to Potter, Trump signed more executive orders on his first day back in office than any previous president since official tracking began.
The problem, Potter notes, is not just the number of orders—”the volume of executive orders is less problematic than the fact that many of them claim powers that the Constitution or laws specifically grant to other branches of government and the states.”
Executive Orders Have Limits
Executive orders are meant to guide how executive branch agencies implement laws passed by Congress.
They do not create new laws.
“The president swears an oath to ‘faithfully execute the laws,'” Potter wrote.
Yet, some of Trump’s orders appear to openly violate existing laws or reassign powers intended for Congress and the states.
One major example is Trump’s executive order on voting and elections.
The order directs federal agencies to change election rules and adds barriers for voter registration—moves Potter said would “potentially disenfranchise millions of voters.”
“The president has no authority to implement this executive order,” Potter emphasized.
The Constitution gives states control over federal elections and gives Congress, not the president, the power to set national voting standards.
Trump’s Past Criticism of Executive Orders Resurfaces
Back in 2012, Donald Trump himself criticized President Barack Obama for using executive orders.
On July 10 of that year, Trump posted, “Why is @BarackObama constantly issuing executive orders that are major power grabs of authority?”
Fast forward to 2025, and Trump has become known for signing a long list of executive orders during his presidency.
By 2025 alone, Trump had already signed 129 executive orders, covering everything from drug pricing and tariffs to regulating showerhead water pressure and establishing a strategic Bitcoin reserve.
Some examples include:
EO 14273: Lowering Drug Prices by Once Again Putting Americans First
EO 14264: Maintaining Acceptable Water Pressure in Showerheads
EO 14233: Establishment of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and United States Digital Asset Stockpile
EO 14248: Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections
EO 14201: Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports
EO 14155: Withdrawing the United States From the World Health Organization
The withdrawal from the WHO, signed Jan. 20, 2025, sparked global headlines. Trump claimed the organization “ripped us off” and mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fighting Back in the Courts
Because Congress has so far not acted forcefully, the courts have become the main battleground for reining in these executive orders.
The Campaign Legal Center, for example, is challenging Trump’s election executive order in court.
“The battle over the balance of power is now fully engaged in the judiciary,” Potter wrote. “Ultimately, power belongs to the people and the voters.”
Clinton’s reminder serves as a clear echo of that principle.
In a democracy, even presidents must operate within the law, and the United States does not answer to a king.
IMAGE CREDIT: ”Hillary Clinton” by Gage Skidmore, via Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Image adjusted for layout.