Trump attends Supreme Court birthright citizenship arguments : NPR

Donald Trump became the first sitting president to attend Supreme Court oral arguments on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, showing up to watch proceedings in Barbara v. Trump, which challenges his executive order denying automatic citizenship to babies born in the U.S. to undocumented or temporarily present parents. Trump's motorcade arrived at the court around 10 a.m. ET and departed approximately 11:20 a.m., as Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrapped up arguments defending the administration's position, but Trump left before hearing opposing arguments from the American Civil Liberties Union.

Trump's attendance at oral arguments marked a breach of democratic norms, as the president's physical presence in the courtroom is widely understood to constitute an attempt to intimidate the justices and exert pressure on their deliberations. Even Trump acknowledged this concern in 2025, when he abandoned plans to attend tariff case arguments, stating he did not want to distract from the court's decision-making. His reversal this time demonstrated his willingness to disregard institutional protocols and the independence of the judiciary when pursuing his agenda.

The executive order at issue has not taken effect because multiple lower courts immediately ruled it unconstitutional, finding birthright citizenship—established by the 14th Amendment in 1868—to be a settled constitutional principle. Trump's administration argues the amendment has been interpreted too broadly and appealed lower court rulings to the Supreme Court. The Trump administration is actively seeking the Supreme Court's intervention to implement these restrictions on birthright citizenship, despite over 30 countries worldwide sharing similar birthright citizenship laws.

Approximately one hour after departing, Trump posted on Truth Social that the United States was "the only Country in the World STUPID enough to allow 'Birthright' Citizenship," a false characterization demonstrating his misrepresentation of the policy's prevalence internationally. When questioned about which justices he would monitor closely, Trump stated he loved some and disliked others, again characterizing Republican-nominated justices who rule against him as disloyal and stupid while asserting that Democratic-appointed justices automatically rule against him regardless of case merit.

The Supreme Court, currently composed of a 6-3 conservative supermajority including three justices appointed by Trump, is expected to issue its decision by late

Joni Mitchell Criticizes Trump at Juno Awards

Joni Mitchell, the Canadian-born singer-songwriter, made a pointed criticism of Donald Trump during her acceptance of a lifetime achievement award at the Juno Awards in Canada on Sunday. The 82-year-old performer told the audience she was relieved to return to her home country, stating “I’m living in the States and you know what’s happening there,” before praising Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as “a blessing.” Her remarks were understood as a subtle rebuke of Trump’s leadership.

When asked to respond to Mitchell’s comments, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle dismissed the artist with a dismissive remark: “Who the hell is Joni Mitchell?” The response demonstrated the administration’s contempt for public criticism, regardless of the prominence or credibility of the source.

This is not Mitchell’s first public condemnation of Trump. During sold-out performances at the Hollywood Bowl in October 2024, she directly named Trump while performing her 1985 song “Dog Eat Dog,” which addresses dishonesty and corruption. After singing lyrics about “snakebite evangelists and racketeers and bigwig financiers,” she ad-libbed: “Like Donald Trump!” and later expressed enthusiasm for a song explicitly critical of Trump.

Mitchell has also demonstrated her opposition to Trump’s immigration policies by wearing an “ICE OUT” pin at the 2026 Grammy Awards, where she was honored for Best Historical Album. The symbol reflected her solidarity with immigrants and direct criticism of the administration’s enforcement tactics.

Mitchell’s public activism follows her remarkable comeback after suffering an aneurysm in 2015 that required her to relearn fundamental abilities. She returned to performing in 2022 and has since resumed her presence in public life, using her platform to speak against Republican policies and leadership that threaten vulnerable populations.

(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/joni-mitchell-trump-white-house-juno-awards-b2950193.html)

Trump Attacks Court Halt of $400M Ballroom

President Donald Trump attacked a federal court ruling that halted construction of his $400 million White House ballroom on Truth Social Tuesday. Judge Richard Leon granted the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s request for a preliminary injunction, determining that Trump cannot proceed until Congress approves the project.

In his post, Trump characterized the ballroom as “under budget, ahead of schedule, being built at no cost to the Taxpayer.” The project, which began in 2025 after Trump demolished the White House’s East Wing, is funded by private donors and Trump personally. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, along with seven other organizations, filed suit on March 23 seeking Congressional approval for the ballroom and separate renovations to the Kennedy Center.

Trump expanded his attack to criticize the National Trust as a “Radical Left Group of Lunatics,” claiming the organization is selectively targeting his projects while ignoring other government construction failures. He specifically cited the Federal Reserve Building, which he alleged is “BILLIONS over budget,” and California Governor Gavin Newsom’s rail project, claiming both received no legal action from the preservation group despite massive cost overruns.

Trump also announced plans to rename the Kennedy Center as “The Trump Kennedy Center,” describing the renovation as a “show of Bipartisan Unity.” He characterized the Kennedy Center as “dilapidated and structurally unsound” and stated his work involves “fixing, cleaning, running, and ‘sprucing up’ a terribly maintained” facility.

The court’s preliminary injunction requires Congressional approval before the ballroom project can resume. Trump’s Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has previously defended the ballroom project against media criticism, while Trump has personally displayed his preoccupation with the construction during official meetings.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump-rages-at-court-ruling-to-halt-ballroom-in-wild-attack-filled-post/)

Karoline Leavitt Fumes Over NYT Slamming Trump’s Ballroom

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom project on Sunday after the New York Times published a critical analysis of its design and construction timeline. Leavitt attacked the Times’ writers on X, claiming they had “studied fine arts,” “long written about urban planning,” and “never built anything,” while asserting that Trump and his architect have “built world-class buildings around the world.”

The New York Times piece, however, included a trained architect, a fine artist, and an urban planning expert who documented significant design flaws and structural concerns. The article noted that the proposed East Wing addition is approximately 60 percent larger than the White House residence by floor area and more than three times as large by cubic volume, making it the dominant building of the White House complex when viewed from the south.

According to the Times reporting, the project timeline has created serious credibility problems. The White House announced plans to begin construction in spring while design documents remained under review, a compressed schedule that architect Thomas Gallas stated “never made any sense” to him. He explained that a building of this scale typically requires 18 months to two years from initial concept to completed construction documents.

The article identified numerous design flaws, including fake windows on the north side, columns that block interior views and daylight, and a lopsided appearance that disrupts symmetry with the West Wing. The south portico, which was not part of the initial design, contains no doors into the ballroom, and an unnecessarily large rooftop area was flagged as another concern.

The National Capital Planning Commission was scheduled to grant final approval to the project on Thursday, despite the ongoing design changes and compressed timeline. Trump has previously admitted the ballroom functions as a monument to himself, stating that he is building it because “no one else will.”

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/karoline-leavitt-fumes-over-ny-times-feature-slamming-design-of-trumps-supersized-ballroom/)

Trump Demands Filibuster Elimination, Threatens Republicans

Donald Trump threatened to expose Republican senators who resist eliminating the Senate filibuster, demanding the procedural rule be abolished to end a month-long partial government shutdown and advance his legislative agenda. On Truth Social Saturday, Trump declared that “weak and ineffective” Republicans blocking filibuster elimination “should be exposed to the public,” framing the demand as necessary to overcome Democratic opposition to funding without Department of Homeland Security reforms.

Eliminating the filibuster would lower the threshold for passing most Senate legislation from 60 votes to a simple majority of 51 votes, allowing the Republican-controlled chamber to bypass Democratic obstruction entirely. Trump has pursued this goal repeatedly, calling for Republicans to invoke the “Nuclear Option” on Thursday night to remove what he views as an obstacle to swift executive power and unilateral control over legislation, including the SAVE America Act.

A majority of Republicans have resisted filibuster elimination because the rule would also benefit Democrats if Republicans lose Senate control. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stated Democrats “will not give a blank check to Trump’s lawless and deadly immigration militia without reforms,” blocking a short-term House funding bill approved Friday. Senator John Kennedy confirmed Trump rejected a bipartisan plan with Senator Ted Cruz to restore TSA funding because it required Democratic compromise, exposing Trump’s refusal to negotiate over his immigration enforcement agenda.

The filibuster encourages legislative compromise, a process Trump has consistently bypassed through executive orders favoring unilateral action over dealmaking. The partial shutdown shows no immediate resolution as the House recesses for Easter until at least April 13, leaving negotiations stalled and demonstrating Trump’s willingness to weaponize government dysfunction to consolidate power.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/trump-calls-for-republicans-who-oppose-ending-filibuster-to-be-exposed-to-the-public/)

Trump Attacks Newsom Dyslexia As Disqualifying

President Trump mocked California Governor Gavin Newsom’s dyslexia as “disqualifying” for the presidency at least four times in one week, calling Newsom “dumb” and stating that people with learning disabilities should not be president. Trump made these remarks during an Oval Office appearance Monday, a Kentucky rally, a Fox News Radio interview, and a Truth Social post, repeatedly equating dyslexia with mental inability and labeling Newsom’s openness about his condition “politically suicidal.”

Newsom turned Trump’s attacks to his advantage by sarcastically declaring himself president on X and using the moment to support young people with dyslexia, stating “Dyslexia isn’t a weakness. It’s your strength.” Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the governor’s wife, responded with a video listing Trump’s actual disqualifications, including being a convicted felon, bankrupting businesses, and associations with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, while emphasizing that “everything that Donald Trump represents is frankly beyond disqualifying.”

Dyslexia researchers directly contradicted Trump’s claims, with Dr. Helen Taylor of the University of Cambridge noting that people with dyslexia are overrepresented in business leadership and possess enhanced abilities in discovery, invention, and creativity. The Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity confirmed that dyslexia affects as much as 20 percent of the population and that people with the condition often demonstrate strong reasoning abilities and creative thinking despite being slower readers.

Newsom has long described his childhood struggle with dyslexia as a source of insecurity, writing in his memoir that his mother’s attempt to comfort him by saying “It’s OK to be average, Gavin” felt like “crueler words” ever spoken to him. In his current role as governor, Newsom compensates through meticulous preparation, reading briefings multiple times, using specialized font formatting in office memos, and maintaining detailed notes, practices his staff credit with enabling his confident public communication and which he views as a “super power.”

The clash represents the latest escalation in Trump and Newsom’s ongoing rivalry, with the governor strategically leveraging the confrontations to boost his national profile amid speculation about a potential 2028 presidential run. Trump’s pattern of personal attacks has previously extended to racist imagery and disinformation, demonstrating a consistent willingness to weaponize personal vulnerabilities for political gain.

(Source: https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2026-03-17/trump-newsom-dyslexia-2028)

Trump Brands Democrats America’s Greatest Enemy

President Donald Trump declared on Truth Social that Iran has effectively ceased to exist as a threat, then immediately branded the Democratic Party as America’s “greatest enemy.” Trump’s proclamation that “the death of Iran” has already occurred stands in stark contradiction to his administration’s simultaneous request for $200 billion in additional funding from Congress to continue military operations against Iran.

Hours before declaring Iran defeated, Trump issued an ultimatum threatening to “hit and obliterate” Iran’s power plants if the country does not fully open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. This threat reveals the disinformation embedded in Trump’s claim of Iran’s demise, as an already-destroyed adversary would require no such coercive demands. Trump’s escalating Iran war has alienated NATO allies and contradicts his stated position on military drawdowns in the Middle East.

Trump’s characterization of the Democratic Party as a greater threat than a foreign adversary reflects his abuse of power in weaponizing the presidency against political opponents. Trump previously claimed the Iran war was nearing success while spreading disinformation about its purpose and progress, establishing a pattern of deliberately misleading the public about military objectives and outcomes.

The president’s weekend social media posts also included celebration of former FBI Director Robert Mueller’s death, stating “Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people.” This statement demonstrates Trump’s use of the presidency to attack officials who conducted legitimate investigations into his conduct, further illustrating his contempt for institutional independence and the rule of law.

Trump’s contradictory claims about Iran’s status, coupled with his simultaneous demands for expanded war funding and threats of escalated military strikes, exemplify his reliance on disinformation to consolidate power. His equation of domestic political opposition with foreign military threats weaponizes national security rhetoric to justify suppression of dissent and consolidation of authoritarian control.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/trump-declares-the-death-of-iran-then-brands-democratic-party-americas-greatest-enemy-in-stunning-post/)

Trump Celebrates Mueller’s Death as ‘Glad He’s Dead’

Donald Trump expressed satisfaction at former special counsel Robert Mueller’s death on Saturday, posting on Truth Social that he was “glad he’s dead” and that Mueller could “no longer hurt innocent people.” Mueller, who died Friday at age 81, led the 2017-2019 investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential Trump campaign coordination with Moscow.

Mueller’s probe resulted in a 448-page report concluding the Trump campaign did not conspire with the Russian government but explicitly declining to determine whether Trump obstructed justice. Trump consistently attacked the investigation as a “witch hunt” and “hoax,” claims he continues to make nearly seven years later, while granting clemency or pardons to multiple figures caught in Mueller’s inquiry, including Michael Flynn, George Papadopoulos, and Roger Stone.

Trump’s statement drew sharp condemnation from Democratic lawmakers. Senator Adam Schiff stated Trump’s response demonstrated his “basic indecency and unfitness for office,” while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized Trump’s cruelty and accused him of using the death as a distraction from policy failures including rising gas prices, ongoing military conflicts, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement abuses. Some Republicans also joined in the criticism.

The incident reflects Trump’s broader pattern of weaponizing the presidency against perceived enemies. Trump commuted the sentence of longtime adviser Roger Stone, and his administration has consistently worked to expand presidential power over federal agencies while targeting political opponents through the Justice Department.

Mueller served as a U.S. Marine and lifelong public servant whose investigation documented extensive contacts between Trump’s campaign and Russian operatives. Trump’s response demonstrates his continued hostility toward accountability mechanisms and his willingness to express malice toward those who scrutinize his conduct, normalizing the abuse of presidential office to settle personal grievances.

(Source: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5794930-trump-reacts-mueller-death/amp/)

Trump Threatens Iran 48-Hour Ultimatum on Strait

President Donald Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Iran via Truth Social on Saturday evening, demanding the country “FULLY OPEN” the Strait of Hormuz without threat or face U.S. military destruction of its power plants. Trump stated the United States would “hit and obliterate” Iran’s power infrastructure, beginning with the largest facility, if the demand was not met within the specified timeframe. The threat followed joint U.S. and Israeli strikes that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei three weeks prior, part of an operation dubbed “Operation Epic Fury.”

The war with Iran has severely disrupted maritime commerce through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping corridor through which roughly one-fifth of global oil trades. According to the BBC, maritime traffic through the passage plunged 95 percent in March, dropping from approximately 138 daily ship transits to about 100 since military operations commenced. Trump previously denounced NATO allies as cowards for refusing to deploy troops to reopen the strait, revealing his unilateral approach to the conflict has alienated potential partners.

Oil prices have surged dramatically as a direct consequence of the reduced shipping volume and ongoing military operations. A barrel of crude oil cost $98.09 at the close of Friday trading, representing a 47 percent increase since military strikes against Iran began. This economic disruption stems from Trump’s decision to initiate military action alongside Israel without prior diplomatic coordination with international allies.

Trump previously claimed Iran has “effectively ceased to exist as a threat” while simultaneously requesting $200 billion in additional congressional funding for continued military operations, demonstrating contradictory messaging about the conflict’s status and objectives. When challenged by New York Times reporter David Sanger over unmet war objectives, Trump posted on Truth Social that “The United States has blown Iran off of the map” and claimed success ahead of schedule, dismissing the reporter’s analysis as that of a “lightweight analyst.”

Operation Epic Fury has eliminated dozens of Iranian regime leaders beyond Supreme Leader Khamenei since the initial strikes three weeks ago. Trump stated he is considering winding down military operations in the Middle East while the war continues, claiming U.S. forces are approaching stated objectives, though the pattern of contradictory statements about war progress and outcomes demonstrates systematic disinformation surrounding the conflict’s purpose and accomplishments.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump-threatens-iran-you-have-48-hours-to-fully-open-strait-of-hormuz-or-else/)

Trump Assails NATO as Cowards While Deepening Iran War

President Trump denounced NATO allies as “cowards” on Friday for refusing to deploy troops to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping corridor through which one-fifth of global oil trades. Trump’s hostility toward allies coincides with his unilateral Iran war that has backfired diplomatically, as he initiated military strikes alongside Israel without coordinating with partners, then demanded their support managing the consequences. The Pentagon is deploying approximately 2,200 additional Marines and three warships to the Middle East, marking the second Marine expeditionary unit sent since the conflict began on February 28.

The war has devastated global energy markets and inflicted heavy casualties on U.S. forces. Brent crude oil surged to $112 per barrel, up from roughly $70 before the conflict, with gasoline prices approaching $4 per gallon. The Pentagon reported 232 American service members injured since the war started, with 10 in serious condition. The Treasury Department temporarily lifted sanctions on Iranian oil at sea in an attempt to ease prices, marking a break from Trump’s stated “maximum pressure” strategy against Iran. Pentagon officials have prepared detailed plans for potential ground troop deployment into Iran, though Trump claims the U.S. is considering “winding down” operations while simultaneously retaining options to strike Iran’s Kharg Island oil terminal.

Trump contradicted his own position by claiming the U.S. does not need the Strait of Hormuz while simultaneously pressuring allies to defend it. He stated Iran’s leadership has been decimated, with “nobody to talk to” remaining, yet Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and military officials continue asserting they are producing ballistic missiles and threatening to target recreational and tourist sites worldwide. The International Atomic Energy Agency told CBS News that securing Iran’s enriched uranium will be “very challenging” even after fighting ends, undercutting Trump and Netanyahu’s stated nuclear prevention objectives.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer authorized U.S. use of U.K. bases to strike Iranian missile sites, prompting Iran’s foreign minister to accuse Starmer of “putting British lives in danger.” NATO relocated its advisory mission from Iraq to Italy after Iranian attacks on allied bases. The humanitarian toll extends beyond military casualties; soaring oil prices are driving up costs across U.S. supply chains, affecting retail prices for consumers nationwide. Former Iran detainee Siamak Namazi warned that Americans held in Iranian prisons face heightened danger amid the escalating conflict.

Trump made a debunked claim about predicting the September 11 attacks while discussing the Strait of Hormuz, part of a pattern of disinformation throughout the conflict. The White House stated Trump “retains all options” militarily but claimed he has “no plans to send troops anywhere,” a contradiction given Pentagon preparations for ground deployment. As the war enters its fourth week with no diplomatic resolution, Trump’s contradictory statements and hostile treatment of allies underscore the absence of a coherent strategic plan.

(Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/live-updates/iran-war-us-israel-gas-and-oil-prices-trump-netanyahu-strait-hormuz/)

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