WASHINGTON, April 14, (AP): After President Donald Trump reversed course on his tariffs and announced he would pursue trade negotiations, he had a simple explanation for how he would make decisions in the coming weeks. "Instinctively, more than anything else,” he told reporters this past week. "You almost can’t take a pencil to paper, it’s really more of an instinct than anything else.” It was the latest example of how Trump loves to keep everyone on edge for his next move.

Trump has not only expansively flexed the powers of the presidency by declaring emergencies and shredding political norms, he has eschewed traditional deliberative procedures for making decisions. The result is that more of life around the country and the world is subject to the president’s desires, moods and grievances than ever before.

"We have a democratic leader who seems to have the authority to act as whimsically as a 19th century European autocrat,” said Tim Naftali, a historian and senior research scholar at Columbia University. "He sneezes and everyone catches a cold.” The White House rejects criticism that Trump is overstepping his authority or improperly consolidating power.

Administration officials frequently emphasize that the Republican president won a clear election victory and is now pursuing the agenda that he campaigned on. In this view, resisting his will, such as when courts block his executive orders, is the real threat to democracy. "Trust in President Trump," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday while answering questions about economic policy. "He knows what he’s doing.”

The presidency has been accumulating power for years, long before Trump ran for office, and it is not unusual for administrations to veer in various directions based on political and policy priorities. But Trump's new term has been different in the early months, and he seems to recognize it. "The second term is just more powerful,” Trump marveled recently. "When I say ‘do it,’ they do it.”

Although international trade offers the most extensive example of Trump’s inclination to act unilaterally since he returned to office in January the same approach has been evident elsewhere. He installed himself as chair of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to overhaul programming at Washington’s premier cultural institution.

When Trump decided to remove regulations on household water efficiency - he wants more water flowing in showers - his executive order said the normal public comment period "is unnecessary because I am ordering the repeal." "What the president ends up having is what he wants, which is everyone’s attention all of the time,” Naftali said.