Narratives of Imperial Presidency Convey Concerns about Republican System in America

Imperial Authority Language Reaches Highest Levels in Tracking History

Perscient's semantic signature tracking language describing the concentration of power in the presidency registered its strongest reading on record in December, with language describing an increasingly imperial presidency reaching 164 percent above its historical average. This represents more than a doubling of such rhetoric compared to long-term baseline levels, marking the most intense media focus on executive authority expansion since tracking began.

The New York Times characterized the current administration as establishing "a new, more audacious version of the imperial presidency that goes far beyond even the one associated with Richard M. Nixon", capturing a narrative frame that dominated December coverage. The Times noted that "nearly 250 years after American colonists threw off their king, this is arguably the closest the country has come during a time of general peace to the centralized authority of a monarch." This framing appeared consistently across political commentary, with observers describing personal aggrandizement and power accumulation meeting limited resistance from Congress or the Supreme Court.

The 27-point monthly increase built on already elevated levels, suggesting an acceleration of concerns about executive overreach rather than a sudden emergence. Against this backdrop, language about effective checks and balances showed modest improvement. Perscient's signature tracking language describing functional separation of powers moved 4 points closer to average levels, even though it remained 23 percent below the long-term mean. This suggests that media coverage acknowledged some institutional resistance even while emphasizing the scale of executive expansion. Meanwhile, rhetoric about judicial overreach declined slightly, falling 2 points to just 9 percent above average, indicating reduced narrative focus on courts that have stepped in in many cases to restrict those perceived overreaches.

Al Jazeera documented how the administration has claimed widespread and varied emergencies to justify executive authority, using language of "emergency," "invasion," and "narcoterrorism" throughout the first year of the second term. The combination of elevated imperial presidency language alongside modestly improving separation of powers narratives suggests a media environment describing executive expansion while documenting the various attempts to constrain it by other institutions.

Constitutional System Faces Mixed Narrative Environment

Encouragingly, the density of language praising the Constitution as exceptional increased by 14 points to reach a level 36 percent above average, representing the sharpest monthly gain among constitutional narratives. However, language arguing that authorities should not let the Constitution prevent necessary action rose by 6 points to 36 percent above average.

The symmetry is striking: both signatures now sit at roughly 36 percent above their long-term means, suggesting that December featured competing frameworks about the role of the constitution during exceptional times. Chief Justice John Roberts contributed to the reverence narrative, stating that the Constitution remains "firm and unshaken" in remarks that came amid a tumultuous year for the judicial system with pivotal Supreme Court decisions on the horizon.

The Constitution Center's year-end review highlighted decisions related to the First Amendment, nationwide injunctions, and the 14th Amendment, reflecting sustained attention to foundational constitutional questions. Meanwhile, constitutional debates centered on whether Americans remain protected by constitutional guarantees, with scholars declaring such existential anxiety represents a crisis.

National Review's analysis identified five landmark decisions from 2025, expressing gratitude that "the current Supreme Court remains the best in living memory as it champions the Constitution's first principles." This framing of constitutional fidelity competed with the administration’s more ends-oriented interpretations that argued for more flexible application in response to perceived emergencies.

These competing constitutional frameworks appeared alongside strengthening rhetoric about equal application of law, which rose by 5 points to reach a linguistic density that was 14 percent above the long-term average. High-profile cases prompted officials to declare that "the American people respect law and order. Nobody is above the law," applying this principle across contexts from judicial accountability to immigration enforcement. The Supreme Court's docket for the 2025-26 term includes consequential rulings on presidential power, including Trump's ability to issue tariffs without congressional approval and fire Federal Reserve members, suggesting these constitutional debates will continue into 2026.

Multiple Narratives About Role of Police in Retreat

Both police-related signatures tracked by Perscient remain well below historical averages, though they moved in opposite directions during December. Language arguing that American policing has become abusive increased 9 points, while language defending police as dedicated public servants rose was flat at a level that was 53 percent below average.

These deeply suppressed levels relative to 2020-2021 peaks suggest that overall media attention to policing debates has faded, even as immigration enforcement has provided an entry point for new forms of the older debates. Media are not the only ones retreating from the subject. The federal government's retreat from police reform in May marked "an unceremonious retreat from one of the most visible tools used to hold police departments accountable" just before the fifth anniversary of George Floyd's murder. The Trump administration rescinded a Biden executive order from 2022 and signaled it would no longer pursue federal investigations that regularly followed high-profile acts of police violence.

Before this policy shift, DOJ investigations had found that in 12 law enforcement agencies examined, every single jurisdiction showed police had a practice of violating constitutional rights. Twelve former FBI agents fired after kneeling during a 2020 racial justice protest filed suit to regain their positions, accusing FBI Director Kash Patel of retaliation and arguing they were attempting to calm a volatile situation.

The Congressional Black Caucus moved to reintroduce the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act, pushing to ban no-knock warrants at the federal level and strengthen police accountability years after Taylor's killing. Meanwhile, immigration enforcement actions in St. Paul, Minnesota ended violently when an undocumented man allegedly struck two federal officers with his vehicle, prompting defensive shots before his apprehension.

Archived Pulse

December 2025

• Executive Authority Narratives Drift Higher as Judicial Pushback Intensifies
• Due Process Narratives Rebound as Cancel Culture Discourse Holds Steady
• Praise for Founding Documents Wavers

November 2025

• Executive Authority Narratives Reach Near-Historic Levels Amid Ongoing Debate
• Courts Face Accusations of Overreach as Judicial Power Debates Intensify
• Constitutional Principles Under Pressure as Separation of Powers Debates Continue

Pulse is your AI analyst built on Perscient technology, summarizing the major changes and evolving narratives across our Storyboard signatures, and synthesizing that analysis with illustrative news articles and high-impact social media posts.