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From Washington to Lincoln to FDR to the present day, presidents have long been drivers of American progress. Yet the presidency has also been prone to immense abuse.
Today, we are experiencing an executive power grab at a scale never seen before. Is this merely a continuation of trends or something entirely new? How should we understand this moment in American history? And what do we need to do to restore checks on the office?
Listen as David Frum, former speechwriter for President George W. Bush and staff writer at The Atlantic, speaks about this moment in our constitutional history and what it will take to correct course.
Recorded on February 17, 2026.
Keep up with the Brennan Center’s work by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, The Briefing, at https://go.brennancenter.org/briefing.
The Brennan Center is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to repair, revitalize, and defend our systems of democracy and justice so they work for all Americans. The Brennan Center cannot support or oppose any candidate for office.
By Brennan Center5
2727 ratings
From Washington to Lincoln to FDR to the present day, presidents have long been drivers of American progress. Yet the presidency has also been prone to immense abuse.
Today, we are experiencing an executive power grab at a scale never seen before. Is this merely a continuation of trends or something entirely new? How should we understand this moment in American history? And what do we need to do to restore checks on the office?
Listen as David Frum, former speechwriter for President George W. Bush and staff writer at The Atlantic, speaks about this moment in our constitutional history and what it will take to correct course.
Recorded on February 17, 2026.
Keep up with the Brennan Center’s work by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, The Briefing, at https://go.brennancenter.org/briefing.
The Brennan Center is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to repair, revitalize, and defend our systems of democracy and justice so they work for all Americans. The Brennan Center cannot support or oppose any candidate for office.

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