February 24, 2026

In a few hours, Donald Trump will enter the chamber of the House of Representatives to deliver the annual State of the Union. According to the Constitution, the president's first duty is to "from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union." As part of this, he is supposed to "recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient."

It is ultimately up to Congress, as a separate branch of government, to enact legislation. Yes, the president must sign bills for them to become law, but his role prior to that is merely as the presenter of information and recommendations for Congress to do with as it pleases.

Once a law has been signed, the responsibility of the chief executive is to "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed."

Not long ago, conservatives insisted on a strict construction of the Constitution. They were skeptical of executive overreach and supportive of a strong legislative branch. They also insisted that Congress should jealously guard its rights and prerogatives.

This was not only because of the plain words of the Constitution but also because of the original intent of the founders. It is true that one paramount goal of the Constitution was to delineate the powers of the national government, the states and the people.

But it is equally true that the Constitution was intended to delineate the roles of the three branches of government. Our revolution was against a king, and the founders wanted to vest most of the power in the legislative branch.

In this respect, the three branches were not intended to be "co-equal." While they shared equal status in the government, Congress was by far intended to be the most powerful and important.

Yet that is not the chamber Donald Trump will walk into tonight.

To the contrary, he will enter with pomp and circumstance unimaginable to the founders. He will be greeted, adorned and celebrated in a manner fit for a king.

This was a compromise our country made years ago to elevate the president on the national and international stage. As we grew stronger in the world and governing the nation grew more complex, turning the State of the Union into a national event that was not just led by the president — but celebrated the office — made sense.

Past presidents sought out bipartisan moments and found opportunities to praise the entirety of Congress and the people it represents. Donald Trump wants none of that.

Instead, Trump turns all of the trappings of the office into a reaffirmation of his personal power and self-aggrandizement. He does not seek to elevate anyone other than himself.

I have no idea what exactly he will say tonight. I don't know what he will ramble on about. But I know that he will seek to turn his report to Congress into a celebration of himself and convert his recommendations for legislation into authoritarian decrees.

But that’s not the worst part. House and Senate Republicans will sit by and applaud Trump every step of the way.

Earlier today, Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks was on television touting what "We, as an administration" have accomplished.

There can be many good-faith disagreements about what the founders of this country intended. But there is no doubt that the separation of powers was intended to have members of Congress identify in opposition to the president — not as members of his court.

Last week, conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch seemed to recognize just how bad things have become. At the conclusion of his concurrence striking down Trump's tariffs, he offered something of a civic lesson:

Most major decisions affecting the rights and responsibilities of the American people (including the duty to pay taxes and tariffs) are funneled through the legislative process for a reason. Yes, legislating can be hard and take time. And, yes, it can be tempting to bypass Congress when some pressing problem arises. But the deliberative nature of the legislative process was the whole point of its design. Through that process, the Nation can tap the combined wisdom of the people’s elected representatives, not just that of one faction or man. There, deliberation tempers impulse, and compromise hammers disagreements into workable solutions. And because laws must earn such broad support to survive the legislative process, they tend to endure, allowing ordinary people to plan their lives in ways they cannot when the rules shift from day to day. In all, the legislative process helps ensure each of us has a stake in the laws that govern us and in the Nation’s future.

After this decision, Donald Trump launched a series of personal attacks on the justices, including Gorsuch, who ruled against him. Sadly, Republicans in Congress defended Trump rather than celebrate a restoration of their constitutional power.

As you watch tonight, ignore the pageantry. Focus on what we need to do to protect our democracy. It starts with having free and fair elections this fall and electing a new majority in Congress that will show greater fealty to our constitutional system of government.