By Kenneth Tiven

Americans who once feared for their constitutional democracy now believe they are witnessing its collapse. What began as bluster has become blueprint—a coup not against a foreign enemy, but against the United States itself, led by its own President Donald Trump.

The most recent example came November 1, when Trump abruptly shut down the SNAP food assistance programme, which helps feed 50 million low-income Americans. The long-standing federal initiative, once known as Food Stamps, sustains both struggling families and US farmers. Its suspension has outraged both, with critics accusing Trump of “weaponizing food” to demonstrate power over citizens he cannot deport.

That move followed another shocking act: the demolition of the East Wing of the White House, a 122-year-old historic structure, ordered without permits or legal review. Heavy machinery arrived on a Sunday morning—the day after the “No Kings Day” protests, where more than seven million Americans marched peacefully across the nation, waving flags and mocking Trump’s monarchical aspirations. The White House dismissed the protests as “America-haters and left-wing terrorists,” but images told a different story: older Americans and students alike, united under the slogan “No Kings in America”.

The following morning, as debris filled the South Lawn, many saw not coincidence, but punishment. “This is Trump being Trump,” said one senior official. “He’s always seen himself above the law—first as a businessman, now as a president.”

Trump insists the new White House ballroom will be privately funded by “patriots and great American companies”. But the project bypasses all oversight and federal preservation rules. It mirrors Trump’s first major New York deal decades ago, when he tore down a protected building without permission, hiring non-union foreign labour to save money. History, it seems, is repeating itself—only this time, the building is the White House itself.

The president’s authoritarian streak runs deeper. He has refused to release $6 billion in reserve funds that could instantly restart SNAP benefits, blaming Democrats for the resulting hunger. Meanwhile, the federal government remains partially shut down—not for lack of money, but because Congress refuses to approve a budget that Trump insists he can rewrite at will.

Behind it all lies the disputed theory of “unitary executive power”—the belief that a president’s authority cannot be limited by Congress or the courts. Trump embraces it fully, ignoring court rulings that block his deployment of troops in Democratic-run cities or his attempts to deport migrants without due process.

THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR: LAW IS WHAT HE SAYS IT IS

In this climate, even acts of cruelty become instruments of control. ICE agents seizing food from children, medical rules reversed by executive whim, and the blanket pardon of over 1,000 January 6 rioters—all reinforce Trump’s bond with his most loyal base.

Foreign policy, too, now bends to his whims. Jared Kushner and real estate ally Steve Witkoff have been dispatched to patch faltering ceasefire deals in the Middle East, while in Eastern Europe, Trump has again sided with Vladimir Putin’s claim over occupied Ukrainian land.

The destruction of the East Wing, a site tied to First Ladies and presidential history, marks a grim milestone. The White House, once a symbol of stability and stewardship, now mirrors the instability of the man who occupies it. For a president obsessed with spectacle, a ballroom in the People’s House offers something irresistible: a stage fit for a king. 

—The writer has worked in senior positions at The Washington Post, NBC, ABC and CNN and also consults for several Indian channels

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