White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt turned the tables Wednesday on those in the establishment media who are arguing President Donald Trump’s actions to address the fraud and waste in the federal government have created a “constitutional crisis.”
“I would like to address an extremely dishonest narrative that we’ve seen emerging over the past few days,” she said to reporters at the beginning of her briefing.
“Many outlets in this room have been fear-mongering the American people into believing there is a constitutional crisis taking place here at The White House,” Leavitt continued.
“But, in fact, the real constitutional crisis is taking place within our judicial branch, where district court judges in liberal districts across the country are abusing their power to unilaterally block President Trump’s basic executive authority,” she asserted.
In recent days, district court judges have ordered Trump to immediately lift a federal government spending freeze, halt a federal employee buyout program, and deny Treasury Department records access to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency among other rulings, according to the Associated Press.
In all, Leavitt said that leftist activist judges have issued at least 12 injunctions in the past 14 days, “often without citing any evidence or grounds” for their rulings.
WATCH: WH Press Sec @karolineleavitt blasts liberal media for “fear mongering the American people into believing there is a constitutional crisis taking place here at The White House.”
“In fact the real constitutional crisis is taking place within our judicial branch where… pic.twitter.com/gvDtCj1eO6
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) February 12, 2025
“Each injunction is an abuse of the rule of law and an attempt to thwart the will of the people,” she argued.
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“We will comply with the law and the courts, but we will also continue to seek every legal remedy to ultimately overturn these radical injunctions and ensure President Trump’s policies can be enacted,” Leavitt said.
The New York Times, NBC, NPR, and CNN, among other news outlets, have all suggested some of Trump’s executive orders, particularly regarding rooting out wasteful government spending, have created a “constitutional crisis.”
However, CNN conservative commentator Scott Jennings agreed with Leavitt’s view, saying Monday night, “I think there’s a difference between saying whether you’re complying with the law, and then you have these individual district court judges setting, effectively, broad federal policy that is specifically reserved for the president of the United States. I think we do have a constitutional crisis, and it’s being caused by these judges.”
If there’s a “constitutional crisis” it’s caused by activist federal district judges with narrow jurisdictions usurping the powers of the presidency. @GovChrisSununu and I take on the left last night on @cnn. It’s just more lawfare against Trump. pic.twitter.com/yvZPXyXaGK
— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) February 11, 2025
Most of the other panelists on the left-leaning news outlet said they thought rulings like that by Obama-appointed U.S. District Court Judge John McConnell of Rhode Island blocking Trump’s spending freeze were perfectly appropriate.
CNN host Abby Philip questioned Jennings, “When the court says, ‘Congress … appropriated this money, you must unfreeze it while we litigate this,’ why can’t Trump comply with that?”
“So you’re saying a judge should decide how and when money is spent, for years, and not the president of the United States?” Jennings responded.
CNN legal analyst Elie Hong asked Jennings, “If a district court judge rules in a way that the president dislikes, should the president listen, or should the president defy?”
“If a district court judge tries to usurp the authority of the chief executive of this country, he should absolutely defy it,” the conservative answered.
Former New Hampshire GOP Gov. Chris Sununu concurred, saying, “You just can’t compel the executive branch to spend the dollars. You can’t do that.”
Trump addressed the issue from the Oval Office Tuesday, saying, “I always abide by the courts, and then I’ll have to appeal it.”
“I always abide by the courts, and then I’ll have to appeal it.”
— President Trump says he will comply with federal court rulings even if they block his agenda. pic.twitter.com/zIzwyuMPAX
— The Recount (@therecount) February 11, 2025
“But then, what he’s done is, he’s slowed down the momentum, and it gives crooked people more time to cover up the books,” he added, noting “appeals take a long time.”
Leavitt is right. The real constitutional crisis is being created by activist judges blocking Trump from governing within his clear constitutional authority.
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