A president's political power is limited by the system of checks and balances outlined in the Constitution and includes the Congress, the judiciary and the states. But the Constitution can only provide the population with limited protection from a vengeful president.

"We often think that checks and balances can save us and that the Constitution is unassailable," says Tom Ginsburg, a constitutional law expert at the University of Chicago. But how might Trump react in the case of a terrorist attack, a natural disaster or in times of war? Would he take the opportunity to make a grab for power and weaken other institutions? He possesses the authority to do so.

There have been times in the past when Democrats and Republicans have cooperated to protect the common welfare and democratic institutions -- even in opposition to presidents from their own party. In the 1930s, leading Democrats stood up to Franklin D. Roosevelt's efforts to shake up the Supreme Court due to the court's skepticism of the New Deal, the president's far-reaching reform package. In the 1970s, Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the impeachment of Richard Nixon.

Read more at Der Spiegel