The first 100 days of a presidential term says a lot about a president’s policy goals, and it also provides Americans insight into how a president intends to govern over the next four years.
For President Donald Trump, the first 100 days has been characterized by a period of blatant disrespect for the rule of law, our system of checks and balances and the bounds of the Constitution.
Trump’s countless overreaching executive orders, threats to independent agencies, attacks on our electoral system and disregard for ethics laws paint a picture of a president attempting to consolidate power at all costs — and Americans are paying the price.
But the president is not a king, and Trump cannot unconstitutionally and illegally reshape how the federal government works just to serve his own interests and those of his allies. Trump’s attempts to do so must be challenged, because no one is above the law.
Campaign Legal Center (CLC) was ready to respond to Trump’s second term well before Inauguration Day and, on behalf of the American people, will continue to push back against any unlawful actions taken by this administration.
Paving the Way for Corruption and Ethics Violations
Just as he did in his first term, Trump filled his administration with political allies whose countless conflicts of interest call into question whether they are prioritizing public good. At the same time, the president has worked to rid the government of public officials who disagree with his agenda or have the power to regulate him.
For instance, Trump illegally fired inspectors general (IGs) across 17 different federal agencies during his first week in office. As ethics enforcers, these IGs exist to protect taxpayer money by rooting out corruption — as they did throughout the first Trump presidency.
Immediately moving to illegally fire these ethics enforcement officials does not bode well for what ethics enforcement will look like in the remainder of this term.
The mass firing of IGs has been followed by other moves by Trump to hamstring government bodies with the power to check the president, such as removing the head of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) and illegally firing the chair of the independent Federal Election Commission (FEC), Commissioner Ellen Weintraub. These moves open the door to more corruption in government, which is corrosive to our democracy.
Ignoring the Rule of Law and Overstepping Constitutional Constraints
Many of Trump’s actions have prompted the same question: Can the president do that?
The answer has often been a resounding no, with Trump issuing a barrage of executive orders to unilaterally impose his will on the federal government, in defiance of the limits of his constitutional power.
For example, Trump issued an executive order to place independent regulatory agencies under presidential purview. This unlawful action threatens the ability of the FEC and other independent agencies to hold the president accountable to the rule of law.
On day one, Trump created the so-called U.S. DOGE Service and handed the keys of the federal government over to Elon Musk, an unelected megadonor with countless conflicts of interest.
At the direction of Elon Musk, DOGE has, without legal authority, made decisions about federal agency funding and personnel, hindering government agencies at the expense of the American people.
Elon Musk has no legal right to make decisions on how our government spends money — that’s up to Congress.
Attacking the Freedom to Vote and Undermining Election Security
The second Trump administration also has been marked by attacks on the freedom to vote, birthright citizenship and our elections.
His executive order on voting and elections purported to direct the bipartisan and independent Election Assistance Commission to change the rules for federal elections and require Americans to jump through unnecessary hoops to register to vote. CLC’s recent victory in court blocking one of the key parts of the executive order will protect millions of voters. Congress and the states have the power to regulate elections — not the president.
Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship via executive order is an unconstitutional attempt to reshape the American electorate. Birthright citizenship ensures that all Americans, regardless of who their parents are, have equal rights under the law and the opportunity to make their voices heard.
While peddling misinformation about the safety of our elections, Trump and his administration have taken measures that place our elections at a greater risk. For example, Attorney General Pam Bondi ended the federal government’s effort to combat foreign election influence campaigns by global adversaries looking to interfere in American elections.
Because of Trump’s unrelentless attack on our elections, millions of Americans may not be able to exercise their right to vote in a free, fair election.
Attacks on the Department of Justice
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has been the subject of unprecedented levels of manipulation in the first 100 days of Trump’s second term.
At the direction of the Trump administration, the DOJ has fired employees involved in the January 6 attack investigations; ended lawsuits against politicians accused of campaign finance corruption and bribery; dropped cases that protect voting rights for underrepresented communities; and pursued investigations into Trump’s personal and political enemies.
A DOJ that works for the president, rather than in service of justice, cannot effectively protect the American people. Trump’s weakening of the DOJ, coupled with his attacks on big law firms, judges and others who stand in his way, are troubling signs for the rule of law.
How CLC Is Pushing Back
Despite Trump’s wishes, his attempt to seize power and defy the will of the people will not stand.
Campaign Legal Center is fighting back by:
- Taking Trump and his cronies to court: CLC is actively challenging the constitutionality of several of Trump's actions, with ongoing lawsuits against the administration for its illegal attempt to change the rules for federal elections and against Elon Musk and DOGE for their unconstitutional attempt to control the federal budget.
- Countering Trump’s attempts to dismantle the rule of law: Amidst a packed media cycle and a slew of attacks to our democracy, CLC has worked to highlight and combat the illegal actions taken by the Trump administration that have long-term consequences for our system, like the firing of inspectors general and the flouting of ethics laws.
- Calling on lawmakers to advance laws: Preventing presidential overreach also means holding our legislative branch accountable to their duty to the people. CLC has worked to close the revolving door for former lobbyists and preventing politicians from using their privileged knowledge to grow their individual wealth.
Coming into office, Trump pledged that he would be a dictator “on day one.” His actions have undoubtedly been in pursuit of that goal.
Campaign Legal Center made its own pledge: to hold this administration accountable — as we have for every past administration — to the rule of law, the Constitution and, ultimately, the American people. With your support, CLC will continue to meet the moment with every resource at our disposal.