How Will U.S. Election Affect Presidential Executive Power?

Regardless of who wins the 2020 presidential election, the American people can expect the U.S. Senate to push back on unilateral actions by either President Trump or President Biden, more than it did during Trump’s first term, according to John J. Farmer, Jr. director of Rutgers University’s Eagleton Institute of Politics.

Farmer discusses these possibilities in the latest installment of “What Happens Next Election Edition,” produced by Rutgers University-New Brunswick.

“President Trump, like Bush and Obama, has acted unilaterally from a school of thought that the president has inherent executive authority – although, unlike his two predecessors, he has done so to advance a more personal agenda as in Ukraine. But if he is reelected we may see the Senate more willing to exercise oversight. This would certainly be the case if Democrats take control of the Senate, but may be so even if the Republicans retain control, due to his status as a second-term president,” Farmer said.

His view of a Biden presidency is different, given how Biden’s political career has differed from those of the previous three presidents.

“If Biden is elected then, given his history in the Senate, we may see more of an attempt to work collaboratively with Congress, at least initially. There will always be tension between the president and Congress, but his legislative background may enable him to work with Congress to a greater extent than Bush, Obama or Trump.”

You can view the “What Happens Next” conversation with Farmer on Rutgers University-New Brunswick’s Facebook page. It is part of a series of interviews with Rutgers faculty on how the election will affect matters of national interest.