The President Who Would Not Be King

Vital perspectives for the divided Trump era on what the Constitution''s framers intended when they defined the extent¿and limits¿of presidential power

One of the most vexing questions for the framers of the Constitution was how to create a vigorous and independent executive without making him king. In today''s divided public square, presidential power has never been more contested. The President Who Would Not Be King cuts through the partisan rancor to reveal what the Constitution really tells us about the powers of the president.

Michael McConnell provides a comprehensive account of the drafting of presidential powers. Because the framers met behind closed doors and left no records of their deliberations, close attention must be given to their successive drafts. McConnell shows how the framers worked from a mental list of the powers of the British monarch, and consciously decided which powers to strip from the presidency to avoid tyranny. He examines ea