The line comes from Trump's July 2019 speech to Turning Point USA students in Washington, where he was discussing Article II of the Constitution and the Mueller investigation. He argued the provision gave him broad presidential power, a remark that was clipped by news outlets and quickly turned into a meme. Shortened versions focusing only on the whatever I want phrase circulated on soundboards and in edits, detached from the speech itself, and it remains popular as shorthand for unchecked confidence and doing something without permission.