Nonsense claim that 'Trump is in complete control of the country' | Fact check

Gabrielle Settles, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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Former President Donald Trump waves as he steps off his plane at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport earlier this month.
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The claim: Donald Trump and the US military control the country

An Aug. 15 Facebook video (direct link, archive link) shows a man talking to viewers about who’s in power in the U.S.

“Trump and the military are in complete control of the country,” the man says. He later claims that former President Donald Trump is "allowing" the current administration to remain in power so U.S. citizens can see alleged corruption for themselves.

“This is Trump’s campaign," he says. "This is his campaign to the American people. He did it out in the open without anyone realizing he is campaigning right now. … Every time they do something, every move they make, what happens? He gets more and more people on his side. This is his campaign for the presidential election of 2024.”

The video's caption reads, "POTUS Trump got Military! Next Move Checkmate."

The video was shared more than 400 times in two days.

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Our rating: False

Trump is not in control of the military, much less the country. He is a private citizen running for reelection. President Joe Biden is the commander in chief of the U.S. military, as evidenced by the array of military and governing actions he has taken while in office.

Constitution gives the president authority over military

While this is hardly the first time Trump's political power has been the subject of a conspiracy theory, the fact remains that on Jan. 20, 2021, Trump's term as president came to an end when Biden was inaugurated.

The Constitution says the president is commander in chief "of the Army and Navy," while the National Security Act of 1947 established that the president is commander in chief of the entire U.S. military, including the Air Force and Space Force.

Experts at the Harvard Law Review explained in an article, “The textual designation of the president as the commander in chief was intended to ensure that that officer, and no other, would be ultimately responsible for performing that role, whatever it was to entail.”

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Biden won the 2020 presidential election, and the result was confirmed by the electoral college results in Congress. Biden has used his powers as the commander in chief many times: In July 2023, he authorized the military to deploy 3,000 reserve troops to Europe amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – a move criticized by Trump, who said he would end the war within 24 hours “when I am reelected.”

Biden has used his authority as president to take a wide array of governing actions as well. As of Aug. 16, he had signed 121 executive orders, 150 presidential memoranda, 464 proclamations and 96 notices, according to tracking by Ballotpedia. He has also been regularly engaged in international diplomacy, such as negotiating Sweden’s joining of NATO – something he could not have done if he wasn’t president.

Former presidents like Trump get certain benefits, such as a pension and Secret Service protection. But power over the military isn’t on that list.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No, Trump is not in 'complete control' of the country | Fact check