Donald Trump said people who criticize the Supreme Court’s decisions should be imprisoned. Speaking to a Pennsylvania crowd, Trump said the backlash against Supreme Court Justices following the Roe v Wade ruling was wrong and should be illegal. Critics said the former President had forgotten the protections of the First Amendment, even though he has repeatedly relied on them.
Trump has long held a confrontational attitude toward much of the American judiciary and has publicly described judges on his cases as unfair, biased, and “highly partisan.” He also accuses the judiciary of making the country less safe.
Women’s groups lashed out at the former President and have accused him of seeking to silence abortion rights campaigners. Maggie Jo Buchanan, leader of the Demand Justice group, said Trump had previously called for women to be punished for having abortions and now wants them punished for speaking about it.
Left-leaning groups say the Republican Presidential candidate wants to thoroughly transform the Presidency and give himself unprecedented power – including by limiting criticism. Many see the Supreme Court bench as excessively Trump-friendly and worry that he will use the Court to increase and protect his grip on power.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) states that Mr. Trump committed “gross abuses of power” from the Oval Office and can reasonably be expected to commit more in a second term. “We expect the Trump administration to double down on attempts to further limit our First Amendment rights,” the ACLU states.
Under the controversial Project 2025, the office of the President would gain significant new powers. The Department of Justice would come under the direct control of the Oval Office, and the President could enact policy unilaterally. Project 2025 also recommends firing thousands of federal government employees and replacing them with Trump loyalists.
Mr. Trump denies knowledge of Project 2025 but has previously supported its creators, the conservative Heritage Foundation. Trump’s running mate JD Vance has a close relationship with Heritage leader Kevin Roberts, and wrote a foreword for his book, Dawn’s Early Light, in which he urged conservatives to “circle the wagons and load the muskets.”
