Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, suggested that former President Trump could defy “illegitimate” Supreme Court rulings, leading to a heated exchange with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos.
Vance argued that the president should have the prerogative to run the military as he sees fit and replace mid-level bureaucrats.
Sen. Vance said, “The Constitution says that the Supreme Court can make rulings, but if the Supreme Court ― and look, I hope that they would not do this ― but if the Supreme Court said the president of the United States can’t fire a general, that would be an illegitimate ruling and the president has to have Article 2 prerogative under the Constitution to actually run the military as he sees fit.”
ABC Host George Stephanopoulos Abruptly Ends Interview With JD Vance Over Supreme Court Remarks pic.twitter.com/zvlmEPhEM8
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“This is just basic constitutional legitimacy. You’re talking about a hypothetical where the Supreme Court tries to run the military. I don’t think that’s going to happen, George. But of course, if it did, the president would have to respond to it. There are multiple examples throughout American history of the president doing just that,” he continued.
Stephanopoulos said, “You’ve made it very clear you believe the president can defy the Supreme Court.”
Vance later explained, “I think that what Trump should do, like if I was giving him one piece of advice, fire every single mid-level bureaucrat, every civil servant in the administrative state, replace them with our people. And when the courts – because you will get taken to court – and then when the courts stop you, stand before the country, like Andrew Jackson did, and say the chief justice has made his ruling, now let him enforce it.”
Stephanopoulos questioned Vance’s stance on the president defying the Supreme Court, leading to a debate on the role of bureaucrats and the government’s functioning.
Stephanopoulos said, “Fire everyone in the government, then defy the Supreme Court. You think it’s OK for the president to fire the Supreme Court?”
Stephanopoulos interrupted and said, “You said every civil servant in the administrative state.”
“Let me finish the answer, George, you asked the question. We have a major problem here with administrators and bureaucrats in the government who don’t respond to the elected branches. Let’s just give one very real-world example of this. In 2019, Donald Trump, having defeated ISIS, said that we should redeploy our troops in Syria and Jordan out of the region. You had multiple members of the Defense Department bureaucracy who fought him on that. So, what happened? We have people who are sitting ducks in the Levant right now, three of whom just got killed because the bureaucrats aren’t listening to the political branches,” replied Vance.
Vance emphasized the need for bureaucrats to follow the rules and the president’s authority to run the government.
“That’s a fundamental component of our government, George, that whoever is in charge, agree or disagree with them, you have to follow the rules. If those people aren’t following the rules, then, of course, you’ve got to fire them,” he continued.
“And, of course, the president has to be able to run the government as he thinks he should. That’s the way the Constitution works. It has been thwarted too much by the way our bureaucracy has worked over the past 15 years,” concluded the senator.
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