A constitutional scholar explains why Trump’s understanding of the US system is haphazard at best

AlterNet logoPresident Donald Trump recently attempted to explain the complex relationship between the federal government and the states, as outlined by the framers in 1787.

“[Y]ou can call it ‘federalist,’ you can call it ‘the Constitution,’ but I call it ‘the Constitution,’” he said at a briefing by the Coronavirus Task Force.

Trump’s statement, along with several others he has made recently, highlights one of the key issues that has affected America’s response to the coronavirus pandemic: federalism. Continue reading.