Trump's Claim Of A Mandate Is Overstated
The math just doesn't add up.
Michael Mechanic in Mother Jones challenges the notion that Trump has a "mandate" simply because he won the election. After all, Trump received less than half the popular vote, which is less than one-third of registered voters.
Furthermore, polling shows that many of Trump's executive orders have little popular support; e.g., 36% support for pardoning the January 6th rioters, and 37% support for tariffs on goods from Canada. Hardly a mandate.
Mechanic gives us a brief history of U.S. presidents claiming mandates going back to Andrew Jackson – who tried to use his "mandate" to destroy the central bank.
Donald Trump does not have a “mandate” for any of this
He’s hardly the first president to claim he represents the people’s will—or God’s. But he might be the most brazen.
Michael Mechanic
2,399 words
"Mandates are typically invoked, [political scientist] Azari has observed, when a president is on the defensive or when he seeks to vastly expand his powers."
Source tags: Mother Jones, Michael Mechanic
