Remember 'Schoolhouse Rock!'? This is what it looks like under Trump.
Remember 'Schoolhouse Rock!'? This is what it looks like under Trump. | Opinion We now have an overreaching ringmaster in the executive, an empty ring where Congress should be, and the lion tamers in the judiciary struggling to contain the chaos.
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Trump may bring down the tent on democracy with overreach | Opinion
Schoolhouse Rock introduced kids to US government. One episode used a three-ring circus to describe the branches. This updates for the Trump era.
"Schoolhouse Rock!" introduced the concepts of American government to a generation of kids using catchy tunes and cartoon animations. Most of the shows aged well, but the first 100 plus days of the Trump administration may force the reimaging of the episode teaching the three branches of government.
If you can't remember the lyrics, 'Three Ring Government' describes the branches of government as working together like a well-balanced "three-ring circus." Each ring – the executive, legislative and judicial branches – has its act, its limit and its role in keeping the whole show running: 'No one part can be more powerful than any other is. Each controls the other you see, and that's what we call checks and balances.'
While some might think the metaphor of a 'circus' is apropos to the current situation in Washington, the original cartoon wasn't describing chaos. It was about our government's dynamic equilibrium: Three branches competing, complementing and ultimately balancing each other out to safeguard democracy.
But in President Donald Trump's second administration, that delicate balance is teetering. Instead of three functioning rings, we now have an overreaching ringmaster in the executive, an empty ring where Congress should be and the lion tamers in the judiciary struggling to contain the chaos.
The overreaching executive: Ringmaster or wrecking ball?
In the first months since he took the oath of office, the 47th president has deployed his power in a way that compares to few, if any, predecessors. The last president who initiated this many changes this fast was Franklin Roosevelt, but it's not fair to compare the hopeful tone of the New Deal to the fear itself Trump is creating.
Consider a small sampling of his actions, including:
And so on. Nearly all his policies have been enacted through one of his nearly 150 executive orders, with no congressional involvement or authorization.
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In "Schoolhouse Rock!," the president was one ring in a balanced act.
In today's show, the ringmaster wants the spotlight, the microphone and the final word.
Missing ring in the circus: Congress takes a seat in audience
Of course, Congress is supposed to act as a check and balance on presidential power. In the Constitution, it is the first branch of government. Instead, Republican leadership in the House and Senate have seemingly given up its part in the show and has opted for a seat in the audience.
While the White House has been busy remaking the federal government, Congress has focused mainly on confirming Trump's Cabinet nominations with minimal scrutiny and working on a budget extension that aligns with the administration's priorities.
Congressional Republicans have demonstrated remarkable loyalty to Trump – even at the expense of their own power, future electoral prospects and, most important, their constituents. Members brave enough to host town halls have faced angry crowds pushing back on massive cuts made by unelected hacks.
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Congress has done little to stop Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency from firing federal workers, shuttering executive agencies and revising budget priorities without consulting with lawmakers. They did nothing when the White House undermined Congress' constitutional budget powers by freezing foreign aid.
A handful of Republican senators did join Democrats in trying to nullify Trump's tariffs on Canada, but House Speaker Mike Johnson refused to even bring it to a vote.
The biggest abdication of the three-branch vision has been Congress' unwillingness to act as a true check on the executive. Even as Trump flirted with constitutional crises, most congressional leaders worried more about remaining in the ring master's good graces than institutional integrity.
If this "Schoolhouse Rock!" episode were updated for the Trump era, the lyrics would need to change from "See what they do in the Congress. Passin' laws and juggling bills" to "Congress is on the legislative bench, they're sitting out watching the show."
Judiciary in the crosshairs: The lion tamers fight back
Right now, the only meaningful check on executive overreach is coming from the third ring of the circus, the judiciary.
In stark contrast to Congress, it has provided a check and balance to interpret the law and block executive orders that violate the Constitution. In a recent week, judges ruled against the Trump administration in at least 11 lawsuits regarding immigration, elections and anti-diversity efforts.
In addition to just ignoring or flat out defying recent federal court orders, Trump, his attorney general, the head of the FBI and conservative influencers have also been threatening 'rogue judges' for weeks, calling to impeach judges who rule against them and promising to fight back against the judiciary.
We saw this in Milwaukee on April 25 when the FBI arrested Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan, accusing her of directing an undocumented immigrant out of her courtroom through a side door while federal agents waited in the hallway to arrest him. Whether her actions were criminal is now up to the courts, but the spectacle of her arrest sent a chilling message.
Consider the theatrics: FBI Director Kash Patel announced the arrest on social media, then reposted a photo of the judge in handcuffs, potentially violating Department of Justice policy. Dugan was subjected to a public perp walk instead of being allowed to voluntarily surrender.
Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News the administration would pursue judges who think they're above the law.
We can only hope the courts will remain resilient regardless of intimidation efforts and, like exhausted lion tamers, continue to crack the whip at executive overreach, defending the constitutional order one ruling at a time.
In just 100 plus days, Trump's second term has upended the norms that once preserved our delicate separation of powers.
"Schoolhouse Rock!" taught us that the three-ring government was messy but functional because no single branch can dominate the others.
Today, the executive is overpowering. The legislature is complicit. The judiciary is endangered.
If Americans want to preserve the three-ring balance, we must demand that one act not steal the whole show. Otherwise, we're not citizens of a democracy. We're just an audience under the Big Top – waiting for the tent on our democratic republic to fall.
Kristin Brey is the "My Take" columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, where this column originally appeared.
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