Trump has attempted to rewrite the constitution with an executive order. He tried to explain that for over a century since the 14th amendment was passed that every single lawyer, judge, politician and citizen was unable to read the clear language of the law, and that only trump himself can truly divine the meaning of the words. That is what is vastly different. Here is a judge overseeing one of 14th amendment cases.

"It has become ever more apparent that to our president, the rule of law is but an impediment to his policy goals. The rule of law is, according to him, something to navigate around or simply ignore, whether that be for political or personal gain. Nevertheless, in this courtroom and under my watch, the rule of law is a bright beacon which I intend to follow. I said this two weeks ago, and I’ll say it again today. There are moments in the world’s history when people look back and ask, where were the lawyers? Where were the judges? In these moments, the rule of law becomes especially vulnerable. I refuse to let that beacon go dark today. As a judge, my job is not only to uphold the law, but to protect the rule of law itself. Birthright citizenship is a fundamental constitutional right. The 14th Amendment secures the blessings of liberty to our posterity by bestowing on all those born in the United States and subject to its jurisdiction the rights of citizenship. We are all citizens, subject to the rule of law. No amount of policy, policy debate can change that. And the fact that the government has cloaked what is effectively a constitutional amendment under the guise of an executive order is equally unconstitutional. The Constitution is not something with which the government may play policy games. If the government wants to change the exceptional American grant of birthright citizenship, it needs to amend the Constitution. Its that’s how our Constitution works, and that’s how the rule of law works. Because the president’s order attempts to circumscribe this process, it is clearly unconstitutional. The preliminary injunction is granted on a nationwide basis." - Judge Coughenour, Thursday announcing his decision to enjoin the Birthright Citizenship Executive Order.

The judge could not be more clear about how what is happening now is vastly different from previous presidents. This is not just a 'policy difference'. this is a callous disregard for the rule of law.

Here is the judge's bio if you are inclined to think he is politically biased, https://www.wawd.uscourts.gov/judges/coughenour-bio

The theory goes that checks and balances have broken down because Congress can't stop Trump, but actually I think they simply don't want to.

It is because Trump is doing most of these things through executive orders and presidential appointments it is up to the judiciary to strike them down, not the congress.

To make this stuff permanent they would need to go through congress, then it is much harder for a future administration to repeal these changes.

Same deal, the judiciary could smack him down, and is to an extent, but the extent to which they aren't is down to them not wanting to. The checks and balances are intact, merely choosing not to check and balance as the democratic party wishes they would.

Congress could do all sorts of things to assert its power: it could call hearings, issue subpoenas, revoke or change appropriations, pass laws, file suit, threaten impeachment, actually impeach. The courts could get involved if the administration resisted or defied some of those actions too, of course.

They have no interest in doing any of that, though. Generally those in power in Congress support what Trump is doing and are happy to have it happen without them needing to lift a finger (or take the blame if there are problems). To the extent that they don't, they're also happy to rely on the courts and again not take the blame or blowback from their voters.

As the administration plows forward and gets a taste for operating outside the law, I do think you have a growing risk that even a Congress that wanted to resist would find itself unable. You see administration figures favorably citing arguments that they should ignore court orders even now, and some evidence that they're defying orders already.