Convicted Felon Speaks: “Only My Morality Matters” — “Nothing Else Does”

Washington, D.C.
By Cliff Potts, CSO, and Editor-in-Chief of WPS News

A Stunning Claim from the U.S. President

In a recent interview reported by multiple international outlets, President Donald Trump made a statement that stunned legal scholars, diplomats, and ordinary Americans alike. When asked whether international law constrained his actions on the world stage, Trump dismissed the idea outright, stating that he did not need international law and that the only real limit on his power was his own sense of morality.

According to the reporting, Trump said that what restrains him is “my own morality,” adding that decisions ultimately come from “my own mind,” rather than treaties, courts, or international agreements. In effect, he presented himself as the final authority on what is legal and legitimate in global affairs.

Coming from any head of state, this would be extraordinary. Coming from a convicted felon, it raises far more serious questions.

What International Law Is — and Why It Exists

International law is not a suggestion box. It is a framework of treaties, norms, and agreements that governs war, peace, sovereignty, human rights, and diplomacy. It exists precisely because individual leaders cannot be trusted to restrain themselves based solely on personal judgment or claimed moral clarity.

The United States has not always complied perfectly with international law, but it has historically acknowledged its existence and legitimacy. Trump’s statement represents a break from that tradition — not merely ignoring international law in practice, but dismissing it in principle.

Power Without Restraint Is the Point

Trump later attempted to soften his remarks by suggesting that interpretations of international law vary. But the core message remained intact: institutions do not constrain him — he constrains himself.

That framing is not accidental. It replaces shared legal standards with personal authority and asks the public to trust the conscience of one individual rather than the rule of law. This is not how democratic systems function, and it is not how stable international orders survive.

When leaders elevate their own instincts above legal constraints, accountability disappears. What remains is power justified by personality.

Why This Should Alarm Everyone

This is not a partisan concern. It is a structural one.

If international law is optional, then so is every other restraint on power. If legality flows from personal morality, then dissent becomes disloyalty and opposition becomes illegitimate. History shows exactly where that logic leads.

Americans are being asked to accept that the law is whatever one man says it is — and to believe him when he says his judgment alone is sufficient.

That is not leadership. It is a warning.

For more social commentary, please see Occupy 2.5 at https://Occupy25.com

This essay will be archived as part of the ongoing WPS News Monthly Brief Series available through Amazon.

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References (APA)

Channel News Asia. (2026, January 9). Trump says “my own morality” is only restraint on global power. Channel News Asia.

The Guardian. (2026, January 8). ‘I don’t need international law’: Trump says his authority is limited only by morality. The Guardian.

Reuters. (2026, January 8). Trump says he does not need international law to guide U.S. global actions. Reuters.