Trump holds very strong views about the way he believes America should be run. He views the USA as America Inc., and he is clear that it should be run as a business, and he is the CEO.

He believes that America should stop helping others and start helping themselves, hence the tariffs he is imposing to protect his country. In many cases, he has some reason. There is little question that China has taken full advantage of free trade, not just in America but worldwide. China is a very powerful economic force, with low wages and high technical ability. They can outprice almost every Western government and people want what China is producing, and they like the prices available.

Trump is trying to tax China out of the market, but relocating manufacturing to America is a challenge that he probably can’t win. He has already revised the tariffs on such items as smartphones, computers, etc from China. He can’t compete, although he really believes that this policy is the future for America.

Trump sees some people as a threat to his plans to make America great again. In his signature ‘colourful’ language he says leaders are ‘kissing my ass’ to make trade deals as tariff onslaught begins. The United Kingdom seems to think that they will reach a deal with Trump, but it won’t be easy. Trump is focused on one thing: if it’s not in America's favour, it won’t happen. Again, it must be stressed that he doesn’t have any responsibility to any other country. He believes America has been ‘ripped off’ for far too long.

Independent figures show that Trump is having considerable success in controlling illegal immigration over the Mexico border. Nationwide border encounters decreased 66% compared to January 2024 (242,530) and 34% compared to December 2024 (124,734). There is little doubt that the Mexico border was the major entry point for drugs, not just fentanyl but also marijuana, methamphetamine and many other types of illicit drugs. Trump has to be congratulated on achieving this reduction. Biden couldn’t do it, but Trump has. The problem is that while there is a demand for illicit drugs, the smugglers will always find ways to meet the demand.

The US Constitution divides power among three branches of government: the legislative, executive, and judicial. This separation of powers ensures no single branch becomes too dominant. This is proving a major challenge for President Trump, who has declared publicly that he believes he has the last word, and nobody can overrule him. Vice President JD Vance argued on X, “Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power,” while border czar Tom Holman said, “I don’t care what judges think” when asked about judicial efforts to block deportations.

Perhaps understandably, Trump just wants to throw out everybody involved in any way with drug smuggling. This has brought him into conflict with the Judicial system. Americans do not think the President should have the ability to act unconstrained by the courts and Congress, according to new research on U.S. attitudes on checks and balances. Researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center conducted a study last month.

After handing down a close 5-4 order earlier this month that allowed both sides to claim victory, Supreme Court is being asked for a second time to halt the administration from using the Alien Enemies Act. That review will take place as lower courts begin to wrangle over what kind of notice the government must provide to those targeted under the act and what steps the migrants can take to fight it.

The case of Kilmar Ábrego García is bringing this clash with the judiciary to a head. This man’s deportation to El Salvador has been admitted as a mistake, but Trump told reporters last week that if the Supreme Court said, "bring somebody back, I would do that". The reality is that he hasn’t.

The American Constitution puts authority in the hands of the judiciary, the Congress and the President. It’s a safeguard to ensure effective control over a President who believes that he can act as they wish.

This conflict is going much further than the case of Kilmar Ábrego García. Federal judges have been blunt in their rulings from the bench as the Trump administration has been hit with numerous lawsuits challenging its policies, layoffs and firings and other orders. The president and his allies, including Elon Musk, whose Department of Government Efficiency has been at the centre of many of the suits, have dismissed many of the orders in interviews and on social media. Musk has called for the impeachment of many judges, and Trump has also called for the impeachment of Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

One judge has noted that the Trump administration's arguments about the extent of the president's power are "awfully frightening" and a "long way from" the intent of the law.

DOGE estimates it has saved U.S. taxpayers $115 billion as of March 24 through a series of actions, including workforce reductions, asset sales, and contract cancellations. This figure is hotly disputed. For example, it reported one $8 billion contract that turned out to be worth only $8 million. The New York Times wrote, Musk’s Team Inflated, Deleted and Rewrote Its Savings Claims. After spending three months trying to radically reshape the federal government and its workforce, Elon Musk last week said he would soon be stepping back from the White House DOGE office.

Trump enjoys the full support of his Republican Party senators. At this point in time, they don’t intend to challenge his powers. Some of the judiciary have other views, and they clearly intend to challenge many of Trump’s actions. The Supreme Court normally seems to favour Trump, but recently not over everything. Trump has a battle on his hands to make America great again. Will he win, probably, but only time will tell.

Resident in Portugal for 50 years, publishing and writing about Portugal since 1977. Privileged to have seen, firsthand, Portugal progress from a dictatorship (1974) into a stable democracy.