Consider This from NPR
How an obscure legal theory shaped the immunity decision and Trump's second term
Sun, 23 Mar 2025
In Trump v. United States, the Supreme Court held that the president has "absolute immunity from criminal prosecution" for official acts.To reach that conclusion, the High Court grappled with this question: how much power a president should have?And some legal scholars say the ruling draws on the unitary executive theory — which, in its most extreme interpretation, gives the president sole authority over the executive branch.But did it pave the way for Trump's second term and the constitutional questions it's raised: From the dismantling of federal agencies established by Congress to the deportation migrants to third party countries without due process?For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
How did Trump's second term reshape the federal government?
It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Scott Detrow. And today we have something a little different for you. It's the first episode of a new series we are calling Supreme Consequences, where we explore how recent rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court shape people's everyday lives. As soon as he returned to office, President Trump began to remake the federal government swiftly, aggressively, in his image.
The president has been talking about his day one actions, and it's believed 200 orders will be executed.
A requirement that federal workers return to full-time, in-person work immediately.
The administration plans to issue a new memo in the coming days directing agencies to prepare for large-scale firings.
Trump has made it clear that one of the key goals of his second term is to shrink the size and scope of the federal workforce and eliminate programs he doesn't like.
We're removing all of the unnecessary, incompetent, and corrupt bureaucrats from the federal workforce.
Tens of thousands of federal government employees have already been fired.
Thursday is when things started coming to a halt. We started pausing meetings. There was a palpable tension in the air. And we started receiving emails from our new acting administrator.
That is a federal employee who was fired in the early days of Trump's second term. She's with the United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA, and spoke to us on the condition of anonymity because she fears retribution in the workplace. For the past couple of months, she was doing a fellowship program that had her working at the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID.
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