WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a high-profile interview on CBS Evening News on January 13, President Donald Trump offered a striking assessment of what he believes limits his power as the leader of the United States. When asked directly about the boundaries of executive authority within the country, Trump responded that “President Trump says his authority in the U.S. is restrained by his own sense of morality,” while also acknowledging the role of the Constitution.
Speaking with anchor Tony Dokoupil ahead of a speech in Dearborn, Michigan, Trump explained that his personal ethical compass serves as a check on his actions. “It’s limited by my morality, and I have a very high grade of morality, so therefore it’s limited,” he said, emphasis
ing that his internal sense of right and wrong plays a central role in how he exercises presidential power.
When Dokoupil pushed back, asking whether the Constitution or the courts serve as constraints, Trump said those institutions “goes without saying” but maintained that in practice, it is his own judgment that truly restrains him. “We’ll never get to the courts, we’ll never get to the Constitution because I want to see what’s good for our country,” he added.
Expansive View of Executive Power
This latest comment follows Trump’s broader public statements about the scope of presidential authority. In a separate interview with The New York Times, he insisted that the only check on his global military power — beyond constitutional limits — is “my own morality. My own mind.” On that occasion, he even suggested that international law was not a necessary constraint on U.S. action.
Critics say such views reflect an unusually broad interpretation of executive authority, particularly as Trump has used executive orders to reshape federal policy, restructured or slowed enforcement at several agencies, and pushed controversial initiatives that drew opposition from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
Foreign Policy and Iran Response
In the CBS interview, Trump also addressed foreign policy matters, including recent unrest in Iran. He warned that the United States would take “very strong action” if the Iranian government carries out executions of anti-government protesters, though he did not detail what specific steps might follow.
Earlier the same day, he encouraged Iranian demonstrators to keep pushing for change, saying that “help is on the way” as protests in the country continued to escalate.
Focus at Home and Abroad
Some critics argue Trump’s emphasis on international conflicts and foreign policy risks overshadowing pressing domestic issues, including economic concerns and public safety. In response, Trump emphasized that his focus is “very much on this country,” even as he insisted on the importance of worldwide peace.
He defended his administration’s economic record, asserting progress in areas such as inflation and job creation. He also addressed a Justice Department investigation involving Federal Reserve offices, downplaying concerns about political retribution and dismissing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell as “either corrupt or incompetent.”
