[SpeedyInTexas]

Look at the optics of the situation.

Democrats will have to go to a judge to stop people from getting unemployment.

Democrats will have to go to a judge to stop people from getting eviction relief.

Democrats will have to go to a judge to stop people from getting student loan deferral.

Democrats will have to go to a judge to stop people from getting payroll tax relief.

Those Democrats are just terrible people. Trump is trying to help working people. Dems want to penalize working people. They are bad people.

I love it!

[NRx]

I am not worrying about optics. I am worrying about precedent. This is dangerous and some of these orders are almost certainly illegal and unconstitutional. We rejected monarchy 246 years ago. I am not inclined to start cheering it now.

[SmokingJoe]

Its a win win win win for Trump either way.
If Trump loses in court (probably with a carefully selected deranged Obama judge), he will simply appeal and try and get a temporary hold from a higher court.
Meanwhile, Trump will gleefully point out that it's Pelosi Schumer and the Dems who are keeping coronavirus unemployed from getting relief.
In addition, it will put pressure on Dem governors to end the job killing lockdowns.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

And Trump gets the political Optics and Advantage whether any of this goes through or not

[SomeCallMeTim]

What you're missing is: Republicans will JOIN them.

Democrats NEVER opposed King Obama when he did this crap. But, our side will.

[HapaxLegamenon]

The main thing, I think, is that it checkmates the Dems to pass the legislation to do all of this in a clean bill.

If you read the orders, you will find that what Trump has done is move funds around that are already allocated and to defer enforcement of other things (payroll taxes) with a promise to use executive discretion to forgive the deferred action. The IRS already has the discretion to forgive and settle tax debt. Trump is just extending this to FICA taxes.

Reagan was great at putting Dems in a corner. Pelosi and Schumer have unwittingly allowed themselves to be backed into a corner by Trump.

[tinamina]

Nancy Pelosi is mad in the face right now. Mad enough to have a few martinis I bet.