Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(orig. US) to exercise one’s personal power, esp. at the expense of others.

1977		C. McFadden Serial 61: Rule number one is no power tripping.
1978		R. Caron Go-Boy! 26: That big creep is power-tripping, Rog.
1995		M. Dibdin Dark Spectre (1996) 21: It was another repressive pre-emptive strike at the drug culture of which the power-trippers in Washington were rightly terrified.
2004		L. Redhead Peepshow [ebook] What was with these violent, power-tripping men? [...] hiding behind their heavies and their guns.