Democratic senator says Trump 'doesn't believe in the other branches of government'

President Trump doesn't care about checks and balances in the federal government, Sen. Ben. Cardin (D-Md.) said Monday in an interview on CNN's New Day. Cardin was responding to a series of tweets issued by the president that morning, most notably this post:

"The president doesn't believe in the other branches of government so he doesn't believe the courts should have the power to stop him doing from what he's doing," Cardin said, "but the courts have ruled and the courts said this abused the executive powers."

Of course, executive complaints about the other branches are nothing new. President Obama famously said in 2014 he was not "just going to be waiting for legislation" from Congress to accomplish his agenda. "I've got a pen and I've got a phone," he said. "And I can use that pen to sign executive orders and take executive actions and administrative actions that move the ball forward."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Watch Cardin's comments in context below, or read yours truly on the structural excesses of presidential power here at The Week. Bonnie Kristian