White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt went off on activist judges on Friday for cutting President Donald Trump off at the knees as he seeks to use his executive powers to the fullest legal extent possible.
Leavitt made the remarks outside of the White House when asked about a court ruling from a federal judge that ordered that the administration rehire thousands of workers with probationary status.
Leavitt said that the administration would respond by “fighting back” through appealing and using the full weight of the White House Counsel’s Office and lawyers in the federal government “who believe that this injunction is entirely unconstitutional.”
“You cannot have a low-level district court judge filing an injunction to usurp the executive authority of the President of the United States,” Leavitt said. “That is completely absurd!”
“And as the executive of the executive branch, the president has the ability to fire or hire,” she continued. “And you have these lower-level judges who are trying to block this president’s agenda. It’s very clear.”
Leavitt called attention to the disparities in how the Trump administration has been treated versus how the previous Biden administration had been treated by highlighting the number of injunctions each has faced.
“In one month, in February, there have been 15 injunctions of this administration and our agenda,” Leavitt said. “In three years under the Biden administration, there were 14 injunctions.”
“So it’s very clear that there are judicial activists throughout our judicial branch who are trying to block this president’s executive authority,” she added. “They are led by partisan activists who are trying to usurp the will of this president and we’re not going to stand for it.”
Leavitt posted the clip on X where she added: “The Executive Branch cannot properly function if activist liberal judges can unilaterally block presidential actions over the entire country.”
“If a federal district court judge wants executive powers, they can try and run for President themselves,” she said. “The Trump Administration will immediately fight back against these absurd and unconstitutional orders.”
WATCH:
The Executive Branch cannot properly function if activist liberal judges can unilaterally block presidential actions over the entire country.
If a federal district court judge wants executive powers, they can try and run for President themselves.
The Trump Administration will… pic.twitter.com/7QARlW9dwS
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 14, 2025
