Imperial presidency has been identified one of the several threat that historically had threatened American democracy. Yet the trend of imperial presidency has shown no sign of changing. The Project-Syndicate article offers several reasons for the persistence of imperial presidency.

" a deeper reason why presidents keep accumulating power even as the trend incites alarm: the public – including experienced political observers – wants a powerful president, not so much as a matter of theory or ideology, but as a matter of practicality. Only a strong presidency seems capable of addressing the country’s many challenges.

This has been the lesson of the past two decades, when the United States was slammed with three major crises: the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the 2008-09 financial crisis, and now the COVID-19 pandemic and economic collapse of 2020-21.

A crisis calls for decisive governance. People seek a leader who offers reassurance and resolve. Even at the best of times, Congress is prone to squabbling and pettiness, and to the kind of rational but self-destructive haggling that produces delays rather than action.

Crises such as the Great Depression and World War II gave rise to the modern “imperial” presidency. Congress willingly transferred power to the presidency through a series of statutes empowering the executive branch to respond to, and forestall, any new crisis. In the subsequent era of Cold War and regulatory growth, resources and authority encrusted an office that America’s founders would no longer recognize.

The size of the national government has increased without serious interruption since WWII, with virtually all of the gains in personnel, money, and infrastructure occurring in the executive branch. Democrats want a powerful president to regulate the economy, while Republicans want a powerful president to protect the country from foreign threats, illegal immigration, and – increasingly – economic insecurity. "

https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/us-imperial-presidency-forged-in-national-crises-by-eric-posner-2021-05