“I’m not a dictator”: how Trump is consolidating executive power

Trump is behaving like “an emperor”, enabled by insufficient checks and balances on the power of the Oval Office. On this episode of After America, Professor Elizabeth Saunders from Columbia University joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the extreme volatility of this administration’s foreign policy and how Trump is breaking down the guardrails of American democracy. This episode was recorded on Thursday 28 August. You can sign our petition calling on the Australian Government to launch a parliamentary inquiry into AUKUS. Dead Centre: How political pragmatism is killing us by Richard Denniss is available now via the Australia Institute website. Guest: Elizabeth N Saunders, Professor of Political Science, Columbia University // @profsaunders Host: Emma Shortis, Director, International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @emmashortis Show notes: ‘Imperial President at Home, Emperor Abroad’ by Elizabeth Saunders, Foreign Affairs (June 2025) Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to [email protected] After America: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.