May they be loyal: Donald Trump puts pressure on Supreme Court judges in the United States

President Donald Trump has called on the judges of the Supreme Court to be “loyal” regarding his decree concerning birthright citizenship, while criticizing the recent invalidation of his tariffs by this jurisdiction.

A way to apply political pressure. Engaged in the conflict in the Middle East, American President Donald Trump remains active on a national level. After a long budget crisis and a “shutdown” lasting more than three months, the 45th and 47th President of the United States wishes to continue his anti-immigration policy by implementing his decree drastically restricting birthright citizenship.

A decision that leaves Supreme Court judges skeptical, who could oppose the head of state. The Court “will rule against us on birthright citizenship, making us the only country in the world to practice this unsustainable, dangerous, and incredibly costly DISASTER,” predicted the American president on his Truth Social network.

“I don’t want loyalty, but I want it and I expect it for our country,” he added.

Decree deemed illegal by many jurisdictions

On the first day of his second term, Donald Trump signed a decree stating that children born in the United States to parents also present unlawfully would no longer automatically become American citizens, thus overturning the principle of birthright citizenship enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the American Constitution.

All lower courts approached have so far deemed this decree illegal, aimed at eliminating what the American president considers an incentive to illegal immigration, which he fiercely opposes.

In early April, he personally attended the debates on the topic at the Supreme Court, a first for a sitting president. Apparently unswayed, the judges showed skepticism towards the measure. The Court’s final decision is expected by the end of its annual session, which concludes at the end of June.

Rare pressure

It is extremely rare for the White House to exert such open pressure on the nine judges appointed for life by the head of state – currently six conservatives and three progressives – of the Supreme Court, the highest court in the country, independent and tasked with checking and balancing the powers of the executive and Congress.

Donald Trump began his lengthy message by explicitly criticizing Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett (two of the three Supreme Court judges he appointed himself during his first term) for the “devastating blow” they allegedly dealt him by opposing his tariff policy.

“Their decision on the tariffs has cost the United States $159 billion that we must repay to enemies, as well as people, businesses, and countries that have been scamming us for years,” lashed out the 79-year-old Republican.

“They must do what’s right, but it’s quite normal for them to be loyal to the person who appointed them,” he wrote. Reminder, the Supreme Court is considered the peak of the American judicial power. Independent, it is one of the three branches of the federal government along with Congress and the executive branch, represented by the resident of the White House.