By conditioning emergency federal aid to states on his perception of how a particular state or its leaders treat him, Trump is misusing the power of his office.
“Usually we’ll have 50 governors that will call it the same time. I think we are doing very well. But it’s a two-way street. They have to treat us well, also,” Trump said during a Fox News town hall Tuesday.
This sort of quid pro quo was used by Stanford law professor Pam Karlan on 5 December 2019 as an example of a theoretical abuse of office at the Congressional hearings that could result in impeachment: KARLAN: "Imagine living in a part of Texas that's prone to devastating flooding. What would you think if your governor asked for a meeting w/POTUS to discuss getting disaster aid that Congress has provided for [and POTUS] said, 'I would like you to do us a favor?'"
