White House calls judges blocking Trump’s agenda ‘real constitutional crisis’

The White House on Wednesday sought to turn around claims from Democrats that there was a looming “constitutional crisis” if President Trump defied court orders, arguing that the real “crisis” was the result of federal judges blocking the president’s agenda.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused media outlets of “fearmongering” with headlines about a constitutional crisis. The term has been thrown out by Democrats including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and constitutional scholars who have raised concerns about Trump and his allies defying court orders.

“In fact, the real constitutional crisis is taking place within our judicial branch, where district court judges in liberal districts across the country are abusing their power to unilaterally block President Trump’s basic executive authority,” Leavitt said. “We believe these judges are acting as judicial activists rather than honest arbiters of the law.”

She cited a dozen injunctions in the past two weeks against orders issued by the Trump administration. She decried those who issued those injunctions as “liberal judges,” though some of the judges involved were appointed by former President George W. Bush and Trump himself.

“This is part of a larger concerted effort by Democrat activists, and nothing more than a continuation of the weaponization of justice against President Trump,” Leavitt said.

The president on Tuesday said he would abide by court orders and would seek to appeal rulings that did not go in his favor.

But Democrats and some legal experts have sounded the alarm after Vice President Vance and top Trump adviser Elon Musk in recent days suggested judges don’t have jurisdiction to stop the president from exercising his authority.

Musk in recent days called for a federal judge to be impeached after they issued a ruling that temporarily halted the Department of Government Efficiency’s access to Treasury Department data.

Several of Trump’s early moves have faced legal challenges, with judges at least temporarily halting the president’s actions.

Trump’s attempt to do away with birthright citizenship, his administration’s proposed buyout of federal workers and an effort to put U.S. Agency for International Development workers on leave have all been paused by court rulings.