It’s a pretty safe bet these days that whenever Donald Trump is in the vicinity of a microphone or cameras, controversy ensues.
Trump, of course, doesn’t just stand tall in the face of media firestorms that would burn away the vast majority of other politicians, he actively rides the wave to the sound of rapturous applause from his legion of dedicated followers.
Headlines, the positive and the negative – and there have been many, many negative – are a tool he’s used to elevate his persona to astronomical heights, while questionable statements and periodic outbursts are becoming more synonymous with his second term as president with each passing day.
On Monday this week, Trump announced an aid package to the tune of $12 billion to help US farmers feeling the strain of his ongoing trade wars.
During a roundtable meeting, he assured producers hit hard by tariffs, inflation, and market turmoil that they have reason for optimism. Whether farmers (or anyone else for that matter) believes the line they’re being fed is up to them, but it was a second issue that grabbed the attention of the masses, one that shouldn’t have necessarily made its way to the public sphere.
As the president was taking his leave of the aforementioned roundtable, a hot mic caught him saying “blue slips,” then “You know I cannot appoint anybody,” before an unidentified voice said, “We’ll have a talk.”
The comments were interpreted by some as a reference to the long-standing Senate tradition of giving home-state senators the power to veto federal judicial nominations.
Courtesy dictates that both senators from a nominee’s state receive a “blue slip”, through which they can support or block the nominee in question. The tool, used as a way of ensuring the senators’ opinion is heard, is not a formal Senate rule.
On social media, people began to speculate that Trump’s comments were an unguarded expression of frustration over blocked appointments.
Just a few days ago, the president publicly criticized members of his own party for letting the “blue slip” tradition – which has been in place for over a century – stall his US attorney picks.
“You know, I can’t appoint anybody,” he said in a video posted to X.
“I can’t appoint anybody. Everybody I’ve appointed, their time has expired. Then they’re in default, then we’re losing.”
This particular rant was thought to center around lawmakers failing to confirm his nominees, most notably in the case of his personal lawyer, Alina Habba. Habba was acting US attorney for New Jersey until a federal appeals court ruled her tenure unlawful after local senators blocked her confirmation.
A panel of judges attempted to replace her, only to see the replacement fired – and later reinstated. Unsurprisingly, the fallout meant unrest for New Jersey’s federal justice system.
“You’ve got a blue slip thing that’s horrible,” Trump said. “It’s a horrible thing. It makes it impossible to appoint a judge or a U.S. attorney. And it’s a shame. And the Republicans should be ashamed of themselves that they allow this to go on.
He added: “I hope that somebody speaks to Senator Grassley about doing something about the blue slip because I’m telling you, John, I put up great people, top people, highest education, the best lawyers to be like U.S. attorney and both senators, it only takes one, but if they’re Democrat senators, they say, ‘We’re not going to approve it.’”
What do you make of Trump’s second term as president so far? Let us know in the comments.
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