(AFP) – President Donald Trump slammed “highly political judges” Tuesday as his new administration veered closer to a constitutional clash over his plans to radically overhaul the US government. Trump’s remarks on his Truth Social network came after federal judges questioned the legality of some of the cost-cutting measures led by SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
The Republican president asserted in an early-morning post that “billions of Dollars of FRAUD, WASTE, AND ABUSE, has already been found in the investigation of our incompetently run Government.” “Now certain activists and highly political judges want us to slow down, or stop,” added Trump. “Losing this momentum will be very detrimental to finding the TRUTH, which is turning out to be a disaster for those involved in running our Government. Much left to find. No Excuses!!!”
In his first three weeks in office, Trump has issued a flurry of executive orders aimed at slashing federal spending, appointing Musk — the world’s richest person — to lead efforts that critics widely denounce as unconstitutional. But his plans, which have effectively shuttered some federal agencies and sent staff home, have sparked legal battles across the country. Multiple lawsuits seek to halt what opponents characterize as an illegal power grab.
In the most recent case, a federal judge in Rhode Island on Monday said the Trump administration had violated a previous order lifting a sweeping federal funding freeze. Trump’s team has angrily stepped up its attacks on the judiciary in recent days as they seek to assert unprecedented levels of executive power for the Republican.
“If a district court judge wants control over the entire executive branch… he should run for president,” Stephen Miller, Trump’s hardline deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security advisor, said Tuesday on X. Vice President JD Vance — who has previously called for presidents to ignore court rulings that curb the White House’s power — had warned judges Sunday to back off. “Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power,” he said on X, which is owned by Musk, comparing judicial intervention to a judge dictating military strategy to a general.
“Judicial tyranny is grossly improper!” Musk said, echoing the White House pushback.
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