The moment that Donald Trump was inaugurated as president of the United States, the Democratic Party became the weakest, in terms of elected offices held, it has been in the entire history of the United States. While Republicans in Congress have begun to show some interest in investigating the Trump campaign’s pre-election ties to Russia, it remains the case that party competition, not the checks and balances among branches of the government, is the most important restraint on the power of the president. That means that Democrats in Congress, weak as they might be, are the only major obstacle between Trump and total control of the United States government.