#Trump most likely lame duck president full#

For example, there are no laws prohibiting the President from lying to the American people. Instead, there are norms and customs limiting presidential behavior-norms and customs that President Trump has repeatedly trampled and disregarded. One of the most pressing political lessons of the last four years is this: the presidency is governed by very few enforceable rules and laws. None of that will change because there is a new President-elect. But as we’ve seen in the last four years, Trump can easily foster chaos, endanger the lives of Americans and our allies, undermine trust in institutions and set back national security for decades to come. Some public policy experts have argued that Congress, the courts and the Constitution would largely limit Trump’s ability to inflict damage on the country. 'He could push all kinds of spending bills through in that period of time, he could make major appointments to the federal court system,' he said.Lindsay M. What else could Mr Trump do on the way out?Īccording to Professor Siracusa, Mr Trump 'can do any damn thing he wants' until he leaves office, even if his legal challenges to the actual result don't work.

Why wasn't the US Capitol prepared for an insurrection?.

'They can pardon the president - or anybody else you want to pardon on the wording - for any crimes they have committed or may have committed,' he said. Professor Siracusa said pardons could apply even when the person had not yet been indicted or charged with a crime. Vice-president Gerald Ford became president after Richard Nixon resigned the position, and he then pardoned Mr Nixon. 'This is what Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon did,' Professor Siracusa said. No president has ever pardoned themself, although their successor could choose to pardon them, Professor Siracusa said What do presidents normally do during this period?

#Trump most likely lame duck president full#

Read our full coverage of the US election and its aftermath. Mr Trump will still have to get legislation through congress, and executive orders on appointments and changes to regulations take time to process through the bureaucracy and potentially the courts. However, they still have the same checks and balances in place as during the rest of the presidency. In fact, because 'lame duck' presidents don't have to worry about facing election again, they're often emboldened to do things they may not have otherwise. They remain Commander-in-Chief and Chief Executive of the US. There are, in practice, no changes to a president's powers and status until they officially leave office. While the term would imply that 'lame duck' presidents are somehow impaired, this is legally and legislatively not the case. Are there any limits on what a president can do during this period? However, as the speed of communication and travel increased over the years, not as much time was needed for the transition, and with the passing of the 20th Amendment in 1933, inauguration day was brought forward to January 20.

'It reflected the geography and the climate and the slower pace of life in those days,' Professor Siracusa said.

In the very early days, it used to be much longer - the inauguration was not until March 4 - because when horses and buggies were the primary forms of transport, things took a lot longer. The period between the election and the inauguration was originally intended to give the new president time to get their affairs in order and to move into the White House. Why does the US have a 'lame duck' period after the election? 'The lame duck period in America refers to the period of time in which an incumbent president, or senator, or whatever, has been defeated and before the new guy comes in,' Professor Siracusa said. US presidents are also sometimes known as 'lame ducks' during their second and final term in office, when they can't stand for re-election. It's now widely used to refer to an elected official in the period between them losing an election and their successor being sworn in. The term 'lame duck' was first coined in 18th century England, to describe a businessperson who couldn't pay their debts, and it began to be used in reference to American politicians in the 19th century. Visit our US Politics page for all the latest news on Joe Biden and Donald Trump. However, that term is actually pretty misleading.Īnd, according to Curtin University professor and presidential historian Joe Siracusa, there's plenty Mr Trump can get up to before he officially becomes an ex-president.

Until then, the incumbent is what's called a 'lame duck' president. Now that Joe Biden has won the election, that's the last we will hear of President Donald Trump, right? Well, not so fast.Īccording to the US constitution, an incoming president can't be sworn in until January 20.