Nearly six decades ago, Samuel Huntington wrote, “In functions and powers, American Presidents are Tudor kings. In institutional role, as well as in personality and talents, Lyndon Johnson far more closely resembles Elizabeth I than does Elizabeth II.”¹  That rang true—Elizabeth II’s self-confinement to the “dignified” aspect of government could not have been more different from Johnson’s dogged pursuit of the “efficient.”

Still, Johnson’s powerful Cold War presidency unfolded in the context of a proud and prominent Congress, in which Johnson himself had made his name. Presidents’ reach may have grown imperial, but legislators largely set the agenda and overhauled America’s federal government in the 1960s and 1970s. The “barons” who chaired powerful committees were more like those who bullied King John than those who orbited Elizabeth Tudor or her father, Henry VIII. When Johnson’s senatorial mentor, Richard B. Russell of Georgia, was asked what it was like to serve under six different presidents, he bristled. He served “with,” not “under.”²

In our own time, the Tudor aspects of American government have come more fully into bloom, in large part because our legislators have reconciled themselves to “serving under.” 

In our own time, the Tudor aspects of American government have come more fully into bloom, in large part because our legislators have reconciled themselves to “serving under.” Members of Congress are important as much for their proximity to the White House as for their own constitutional position. They are courtiers more than proud representatives, conforming to various types of a royal court:

The Chief Minister, whose charge is to do the monarch’s bidding. The two most recent Speakers of the House have defined their leadership in relation to Donald Trump. “My Kevin” McCarthy needed a timely intervention from the ex-president to win the speakership in January 2023.³ When members of his own party conspired to banish him—over Trump’s rather feeble objections—the relatively inexperienced Mike Johnson succeeded him. Johnson’s survival strategy has been to leave no daylight between himself and Trump. He is extravagant in praise, enthusiastic in hype, emphatic in deference.⁴  He has corralled his disputatious members by framing lawmaking efforts as referenda on their support for their leader. If Trump ever soured on him, he would be dismissed instantly (though presumably not beheaded). Nancy Pelosi, Democrats’ most recent Speaker, was undoubtedly a power broker “serving with” two Democratic presidents, the latter of whom she helped unmake. But the rising generation of Democratic legislative leaders might well fall into the president-centric model Republicans have established.

The Fool, who says what others dare not utter. As Congress’s sense of decorum has weakened, some members play to the virtual galleries. Think of Al Green’s interruption of Trump’s 2025 address to Congress or Jamaal Bowman, who, along with his fire alarm trick, styled himself a brave truth-teller about Israel and its malign influence in American politics.⁵ Or Marjorie Taylor Greene, pluckily warning of chemtrails, staged school shootings, and, of course, rigged elections. Her high-volume antics delight Trump’s supporters and thereby demand the attention of the president himself. That can create challenges, but what royal fool’s capers were always welcome?⁶

Nancy Pelosi, Democrats’ most recent Speaker, was undoubtedly a power broker “serving with” two Democratic presidents, the latter of whom she helped unmake. But the rising generation of Democratic legislative leaders might well fall into the president-centric model Republicans have established.

The Flatterer, who seeks the monarch’s attention through sheer obsequiousness. Wherever there is power, flattery inevitably follows, but today’s legislators have become notably shameless in their attempts to cozy up to the White House. Democratic members fell over themselves denying that Biden’s age posed a problem⁷—indeed, they insisted his epic experience made him the indispensable man! In 2025, we have seen GOP members introducing bills to add Trump’s face to Mount Rushmore or the $100 bill, to amend the Constitution to allow a third term, and to rename Dulles airport in his honor.⁸ Presumably these tactics pay dividends.

The Favorites, whose proximity to their patron lends weight. Several congressional careers have blossomed out of associations with presidents. Rep. Gabe Amo served directly under Biden and benefited from the support of his former chief of staff.⁹ Rep. Ronny Jackson campaigned as Trump’s White House doctor; Reps. Max Miller and Brian Jack rose as operatives in Trump’s campaigns.¹⁰ Senator Bill Hagerty served on Trump’s first transition team and then as his ambassador to Japan before launching his congressional career.¹¹ Meanwhile, those who defended Trump in his first impeachment trial (including Johnson) saw their political stars rise.¹²

The Rival—no earthly ruler is omnipotent; rival powers must be managed if they cannot be overawed. Perhaps the most important figure in Trump’s second term who does not depend on him directly is the rather enigmatic Senate Majority Leader, John Thune, who won his conference’s backing despite Trump openly siding with a rival. Trump and Thune regard each other with some wariness and yet, so far, have avoided open rifts. It remains to be seen what will happen if they find themselves directly at cross-purposes.

In 2025, we have seen GOP members introducing bills to add Trump’s face to Mount Rushmore or the $100 bill, to amend the Constitution to allow a third term, and to rename Dulles airport in his honor.⁸ Presumably these tactics pay dividends.

Even if (we may hope) our elected representatives will resent being cast as courtiers, the metaphor is not meant to suggest they have become mere stage decoration. Legislators decide much that presidents do not concern themselves with.

But their orientation toward 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is nevertheless unmistakable. If policy decisions mostly happen in the White House, then many members’ most important work is supplication. Perhaps the most vivid illustration of this came in 2021 when former Rep. Cori Bush mounted an overnight protest on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, imploring President Biden to extend the COVID-19 eviction moratorium—which he did, despite (correct) misgivings that his action would be overturned in court.¹³ Less dramatically, many Republican lawmakers interceded on behalf of their districts’ various federal offices or spending programs they favored to protect them from the maw of the Department of Government Efficiency.¹⁴

If getting the president’s ear is as important as becoming an accomplished pusher of legislation, that forces us to reconsider what it means to be a successful member of Congress. The House Freedom Caucus is much mocked for its lack of concrete policy victories; its members’ intransigence has often increased Democrats’ leverage in negotiating spending bills. But many of its members became fast friends of the first Trump administration, with two going on to be chiefs of staff and one a NASA administrator. Chasing social media virality and cable news show appearances may distract from nose-to-the-grindstone policymaking, but these behaviors may make a member memorable, one whom administration staffers will be sure to heed. If, in the Washington of old, “going along to get along” was known as the best way for members of Congress to serve their constituents, today “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” may be the operative cliché.

If getting the president’s ear is as important as becoming an accomplished pusher of legislation, that forces us to reconsider what it means to be a successful member of Congress. The House Freedom Caucus is much mocked for its lack of concrete policy victories; its members’ intransigence has often increased Democrats’ leverage in negotiating spending bills.

Although our modern Tudor government has its logic, we should nevertheless be wary of the royal pageant. If, as Publius wrote, “the interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place,” transforming our legislators into mendicants does precisely the opposite, forcing them to forget the powers and duties that the Constitution assigns to them as they venerate the sovereign as the one true representative of the people.

The abjectness of it all gives reason to expect a reversal. After all, Republicans’ resentment at being reduced to begging for “crumbs at the table” caused them to explode the system of the 1980s.¹⁵ Proud and ambitious members are likely to rediscover “the rights of the place” ere long.

Endnotes

Wallach is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

1.

Samuel Huntington, “Political Modernization: America v. Europe,” World Politics 18 (April 1966): 378–414, 396. He continues, “Today America still has a king, Britain only a Crown.”

2.

See remarks of Senator Sam Nunn in Al Gore, “Richard Russell, a President’s Senator,” in Dedication and Unveiling of the Statue of Richard Brevard Russell, Jr.: Proceedings in the Rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building, Senate Doc. 105-8 (Washington, DC: U.S. Senate, January 24, 1996), p. 9, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CDOC-105sdoc8/pdf/CDOC-105sdoc8.pdf.

3.

 “‘It’s President Trump’: MTG on the Influence Trump Calls Had over McCarthy’s Votes,” posted January 9, 2023, by CNN, YouTube, 6:27, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyWYlpJNI4M&t=148s.

4.

Philip Wallach (@PhilipWallach), “Videographer of the House, Mike Johnson? Revealing that he had this impulse and acted on it,” reposting Speaker Mike Johnson, X, January 22, 2025, https://x.com/PhilipWallach/status/1882113302098215071; Dan Gooding and Hannah Parry, “‘Don’t Ever Challenge the President,’ Johnson Warns as GOP Reacts to Feud,” Newsweek, June 6, 2025, https://www.newsweek.com/dont-ever-challenge-president-johnson-warns-friend-musk-2082086.

5.

Carl Campanile, “‘Squad’ Rep. Jamaal Bowman Accuses Pro-Israel Group Backing Opponent of Being Racist: ‘They Want to Call Me the N-Word,’” New York Post, April 24, 2024, https://nypost.com/2024/04/24/us-news/squad-rep-jamaal-bowman-accuses-pro-israel-group-of-racism/.

6.

Trump Truth Social Posts on X (@TrumpTruthOnX), “What’s going on with my ‘boys’ and, in some cases, ‘gals?’ They’re all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! . . . Thank you for your attention to this matter! (TS: 12 Jul 21:21 UTC),” X, July 12, 2025, https://x.com/TrumpTruthOnX/status/1944147956883763386.

7.

Alexander Bolton, “Democrats Under Fire for Not Sounding Alarm Earlier on Biden,” The Hill, January 7, 2025, https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5070369-democratic-leaders-scrutinized-biden-decline/; “House Member Slams 'Highly-Questionable' Special Counsel Report,” posted February 9, 2024, by MSNBC, YouTube, 6:03, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSglAh7eAKI&t=156s.

8.

H.R.792—To direct the Secretary of the Interior to arrange for the carving of the figure of President Donald J. Trump on Mount Rushmore National Memorial, 2025–26, https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/792; Brandon Gill, “Rep. Gill Introduces Golden Age Act Honoring President Trump on $100 Bill,” March 3, 2025, https://gill.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-gill-introduces-golden-age-act-honoring-president-trump-100-bill; Andy Ogles, “Rep. Ogles Proposes Amending the 22nd Amendment to Allow Trump to Serve a Third Term,” January 23, 2025, https://ogles.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-ogles-proposes-amending-22nd-amendment-allow-trump-serve-third-term, Addison McDowel, “Congressman Addison McDowell Introduces Legislation to Rename Washington Dulles International Airport to Donald J. Trump International Airport,” January 23, 2025, https://mcdowell.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-addison-mcdowell-introduces-legislation-rename-washington-dulles.

9.

Mariana Alfaro, “Former Biden Aide Wins Special Democratic Congressional Primary in Rhode Island,” Washington Post, September 6, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/09/05/rhode-island-special-election-primary/.

10.

Annie Karni, “Ronny Jackson, Ex-White House Doctor, Wins Texas House Runoff,” New York Times, July 14, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/14/us/politics/ronny-jackson-texas.html.

11.

Gavin Bade and Eleanor Mueller, “The Man Being Touted as the ‘Conscience’ of the Next Trump Administration,” Politico, October 24, 2024, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/24/hagerty-trump-cabinet-00185292.

12.

Wikipedia, “First Impeachment Trial of Donald Trump: Trump Counsel and Congressional Defense Team,” updated June 24, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_impeachment_trial_of_Donald_Trump#Trump_counsel_and_congressional_defense_team.

13.

Nicholas Fandos, “With Capitol Sit-In, Cori Bush Galvanized a Progressive Revolt over Evictions,” New York Times, August 4, 2021, updated August 5, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/04/us/politics/cori-bush-eviction-moratorium.html.

14.

Maya C. Miller, “Forgoing Oversight, Republicans Resort to Personal Appeals to Head Off DOGE Cuts,” New York Times, March 28, 2025, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/28/us/politics/congress-republicans-doge.html; U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (@SenMcConnell), “Great news for students and parents across Kentucky. I am pleased @usedgov is releasing the funding for after-school and summer education programs. I want to thank @SenCapito for her leadership on the issue and I was glad to join her in calling for the release of these funds,” X, July 19, 2025, https://x.com/SenMcConnell/status/1946563195310674307.

15.

Interview with Edward Gillespie, January 24–25, 2012, George W. Bush Oral History Project, Presidential Oral History Program, Miller Center, University of Virginia, https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-oral-histories/edward-gillespie-oral-history.