George Will on the Presidency and Executive Power

Political columnist George Will discussed the growth of the executive branch’s powers. He talked about the history of executive branch power in the U.S., and about the country’s founders' thoughts and writings on the balance of power between the three branches of government. He focused much of his talk on President Trump’s declaration of an emergency to reallocate military construction funds toward a U.S.-Mexico border wall, and said a House Democratic resolution disapproving of the action was likely to split Republican lawmakers, many of whom have opposed use of executive orders in the past. Following his talk, Mr. Will took questions from the audience. close