An editorial cartoon depicts U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt and the Supreme Court. Argument

Why FDR’s Court-Packing Plan Was Nothing Like What Trump Is Doing

Critics warned the president was making a dangerous power grab with fascist echoes. September 1, 2025, 8:00 AM Comment icon View Comments ( )

Trump’s Second Term

Ongoing reports and analysis

A perennial danger with pointing to historical precedent is that similar examples from the past can obscure the existing risks a nation faces.

This has been the case with conversations about how Donald Trump misuses and abuses presidential power. Often, the president’s supporters, as well as some conservative commentators who want to offer analysis without falling into “Trump derangement syndrome,” use historical comparisons

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