> all the grand-standing before about the founding fathers, checks and balances etc.
Trump exposed what looks great on paper (checks and balances) as being worthless if you're willing to break all conventions, use the government as a tool against your political enemies, and have a strong enough political base to beat the Senate (ultimately the only ones with the power to stop you) into submission.
What all of this really exposed is that laws and constraints don't mean anything if there's no actual way to enforce them at the highest level.
Trump exposed what looks great on paper (checks and balances) as being worthless if you're willing to break all conventions, use the government as a tool against your political enemies, and have a strong enough political base to beat the Senate (ultimately the only ones with the power to stop you) into submission.
What all of this really exposed is that laws and constraints don't mean anything if there's no actual way to enforce them at the highest level.