U.S. President Donald Trump has escalated his verbal assault on the judiciary, branding a federal judge as “radical left” for halting the deportation of Venezuelan migrants. As his administration intensifies its criticism of the courts, Trump took to Truth Social on Tuesday to call for the impeachment of Judge James Boasberg, accusing him of endangering the country.
“We don’t want vicious, violent, and demented criminals, many of them deranged murderers, in our country,” Trump declared in his post.
Boasberg, a federal district court judge in Washington, D.C., became the target of Trump’s ire after issuing an order on Saturday to suspend deportation flights. Despite the ruling, the administration allegedly continued sending planes loaded with Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador, a country infamous for its harsh prison conditions. Trump justified his actions by invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a rarely used law designed to target foreign nationals from hostile nations during wartime.
A Pattern of Judicial Attacks
Trump’s clashes with the judiciary are nothing new. Several of his executive orders have been blocked by courts, often with little pushback from a Republican-led Congress, fueling his frustration.
Attorney General Pam Bondi accused Boasberg of “interfering with government affairs,” while White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt criticized judges for acting as “judicial activists.”
Trump himself took the attacks further, labeling Boasberg a “radical left lunatic” and emphasizing his appointment by “Barack Hussein Obama.” Even Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who has spoken out against calls for Boasberg’s impeachment, was not spared. Trump turned his criticism toward Roberts as well, suggesting the Supreme Court was politically compromised.
This latest episode is just one in a long history of Trump’s attacks on judges who challenge his policies or rule against him in legal battles. But why does he so frequently clash with the judiciary? A closer look reveals a pattern of hostility that has defined his presidency.