Trump’s failures risk a crisis

The US presidency is an office of awesome power. The incumbent controls a nuclear arsenal and the most potent military force on earth. Under the constitution, the president enjoys the power to make war, grant pardons and enforce the law. But that same constitution imposes constraints. No president is above the law.

These considerations should weigh on the minds of those contemplating how long President Donald Trump can remain in the White House. Removing a president is the ultimate sanction, one not easily executed. It would also trigger a destabilising crisis in the US, the most important democracy in the world.

Yet the situation in Washington is grave. Trump is openly at war with his intelligence services. He has fired his Federal Bureau of Investigation director. The White House is paralysed by leaks and its legislative agenda is at a standstill. Prospects for tax reform, a trillion-dollar infrastructure programme, let alone the replacement of Obamacare, are remote at best.

Much of the damage is self-inflicted. Trump has all but admitted that his unhappiness with the FBI probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election was one of the reasons he sacked James Comey. He similarly asserted the right to share highly sensitive intelligence at a meeting with Russian diplomats. The latest furore is the disclosure that he pressed Comey to end the probe into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who lied about contacts with Russian officials. This last intervention looks like an attempt to interfere with an investigation into Trump’s campaign.

This could be the beginning of a trail leading to the charge of obstruction of justice. If so, that would almost certainly lead to impeachment. If this outcome is to be avoided, Trump will have to address his manifest failings. If he fails to do so, everyone in Congress must put country before party. London, May 18.