From all I have studied about US History, the Imperial Presidency has been in decline, as have the powers of the Legislative Branch, with the rise of the Administrative State. The best example of an Imperial President domestically was FDR (4 terms, rubber-stamp SCOTUS, slavish Congress for the 1930s and early 1940s).Exactly. I have no love for Musk who was a grifter on green energy credits before he became a media darling of the right. However, all presidents have advisors who are "unelected" Chief of Staff usually is one of the most powerful people in the world (especially domestically). That person never gets senate approval.
Its not that Trump is uniquely a dictator. The imperial presidency has been on the rise for some time and each cycle it gets worse. I don't think Trump is "different" than any previous occupant in that regard, I think some of us are coming to the realization that the Government is beyond broken and it starts with the executive branch and federal bureaucracy, regardless of who occupies the seat. As I said in the other thread, Trump is a symptom, not the disease. Its not that there is "some alternative" --our leaders over the last 80-100 years have failed us. Its bigger than any one individual.
The Progressive Era Administrative State has ballooned into a behemoth that simply ignores Congressional oversight and literally tells members of Congress to pound sand, ignores WH orders, and doesn’t care if SCOTUS rules against its actions decisively.
It still continues marching along, re-naming and adapting around oversight attempts.
A simple example for us gun folks is the ATF.
For States, fisherman, and outdoorsmen, it’s the EPA.
For parents and schools, it’s the DOEd and their State clones in each of the States.