THE DISRUPTER IN CHIEF IS BACK

Donald Trump and the Constitution meet again

- MASSIMO CALABRESI

LOST AMID THE HULLABALOO SURROUNDING DONALD J. Trump's second Inauguration as President of the United States—the last-minute, cold-driven venue changes, the galas and balls, the $170 million raised from donors both big-name and anonymous—is the point of the whole extravaganza. In the summer of 1787, the delegates to the federal convention in Philadelphia included in the document they were drafting a requirement that before taking office, the President should recite the following oath: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Not everyone thought it was a good idea. Several delegates believed that oaths were pointless, almost superstitious. It’s the only verbatim pledge in the U.S. Constitution, and in retrospect it speaks to the document’s fragility, a sense that the men struggling in secret in Philadelphia were worried their hard-won agreement was so tenuous that it required a promise from future leaders to respect their work. Yet every President from George Washington on has recited the 35 words as a commitment to the rule of law in the face of unpredictable forces of change.