Did we get closer or farther from true constitutional government during Trump’s first year?

By Matthew Spalding

Published December 30, 2017 5:01am ET

Did we get closer or farther from true constitutional government during Trump’s first year? — The U.S. is engaged in a debate over the kind of regime we are going to live in, and what the government is going to do to and with us. President Trump seems to be engaged in this battle, as are his allies in Congress. But many, if not most, Republicans in Washington are not. That is the problem. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) | Alex Brandon

More than a year ago, Americans elected a “unified” government — meaning a Republican president and a Republican Congress — creating the conditions for the revival of constitutional forms.

We had a disruptive president with a broad, populist agenda that requires legislation, and a focused legislature willing to work with an energetic executive to reassert government based on consent.