Trumps three big retreats lay bare the limits of his power

President Donald Trump has been musing about whether he’s the most powerful man in world history — and judging by the results lately, the answer is definitely “no.”It’s certainly true that Trump has technical tools at his disposal that would have astounded famous pre-20th century contenders for the title of most powerful man, whether Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Charlemagne or Napoleon. Trump’s power, though, isn’t defined by, say, the precision and explosive punch of the Tomahawk missile.As the leader of a constitutional republic that disperses power and depends ultimately on democratic consent, Trump is operating under constraints that routinely blunt his ambitions.If the theme of the first year of his second term was aggression on all fronts, his second year has so far been defined by significant retreats.Late last year, Trump surged DHS forces into Minneapolis, seeking to make an example of the Twin Cities after Somali immigrants were implicated in welfare-fraud schemes.When the operation was met by fierce opposition from city and state leaders and resistance in the streets, the administration steeled itself for a gargantuan test of wills — before Trump, realizing he was losing the battle of political optics, sent Tom Homan to Minneapolis to unwind the operation. Last month, the Justice Department settled a $10 billion lawsuit that Trump filed against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns.The department agreed to create a $1.8 billion fund for the compensation of victims of Democratic lawfare — a slush fund for his allies, presumably including Jan.6 rioters.Faced with adverse legal rulings and Senate opposition, the administration abandoned the scheme that it had initially touted as a means to “right the wrongs that were previously done while ensuring this never happens again.”Then, of course, Trump signed a cease-fire with Iran that wasn’t close to the “unconditional surrender” he had once demanded.The 14-point agreement...