Donald Trump-picked conservative justices turn on him in a public hearing, so the president decides to lie through his teeth

President Donald Trump abruptly left a Supreme Court hearing on birthright citizenship this week after his own conservative justices appeared skeptical of his administration’s arguments. He then went straight to Truth Social and posted a lengthy 488-word rant. His unexpected departure came after about 90 minutes of oral arguments, during which even the justices he appointed seemed to question his administration’s legal position.

The hearing centered on whether all children born in the United States can automatically receive citizenship. Per The Daily Beast, the case stems from Trump’s 2025 executive order, which directed federal agencies to deny citizenship to children born in the US unless at least one parent is a citizen or a lawful permanent resident. Trump made history by attending the hearing himself, becoming the first sitting president to observe oral arguments at the Supreme Court.

Despite being there in person, the justices, including those he appointed, were broadly skeptical of his administration’s position. Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh, and Neil Gorsuch, all Trump appointees, grilled the administration’s Solicitor General, John Sauer, while the president watched from the public gallery. This visible pushback from his own appointees appeared to be what prompted his early exit.

Trump’s grip on the Supreme Court is clearly not as strong as it once was

Shortly after returning to the White House, Trump posted on Truth Social. His first post made a false claim, stating, “We are the only Country in the World STUPID enough to allow ‘Birthright’ Citizenship!” This ignores the fact that dozens of countries around the world grant citizenship at birth without conditions.

Minutes later, he posted his longer 488-word message, which started with praise for law enforcement and ended with attacks on Biden’s border policies. Critics have not held back either, Barbra Streisand recently weighed in on Trump’s expanding executive power, calling him “not a monarch.”

Trump claimed in his Truth Social post, “Unlike Republicans, Democrats want to DEFUND the Police, Border Patrol, and all Immigration Enforcement. They want to allow Criminals, the Mentally Insane, and Lunatics from all over the World to come into our Country, totally unvetted and unchecked, putting Americans in serious danger.”

He then outlined a plan, saying, “That’s why we are going forward to fund our incredible ICE Agents and Border Patrol through a process that doesn’t need Radical Left Democrat votes, and bypasses the Senate Filibuster (which should be repealed, IMMEDIATELY!), working in close conjunction with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Leader John Thune.” This effectively aligned Trump with a two-track plan the Senate passed last week, which House Republicans had previously rejected.

The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for a record 47 days, causing chaos at airports and leaving many workers without pay. Trump set a firm June 1 deadline for a bill to reach his desk, and also mentioned using funding from what he called “THE GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL” to keep ICE and Border Patrol agents paid in the meantime.

According to Politico, after a strong first year where he won nearly all of roughly 30 emergency appeals on issues ranging from immigration to federal grants, Trump has recently faced significant pushback from the court. This includes losses on his tariff policy and the use of the National Guard to control anti-ICE protests.

Legal experts say that as cases move from fast-moving emergency appeals, known as the “shadow docket”, to the more thorough regular process, the administration will likely face even more resistance. Trump’s legal troubles come as his administration also faces tough questions about where hundreds of billions in foreign aid spending actually went.

Georgetown law professor Stephen Vladeck noted that it would be incredibly difficult for the administration to replicate its early success, partly because their initial performance was so high. Roman Martinez, who clerked for both Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, added that “it’s going to be much harder for the administration, and they will likely win some cases but also lose some.”

Vladeck further explained that “the big lesson is that the court will be more skeptical of the administration on the merits docket than it has been on the shadow docket.” Solicitor General John Sauer himself seemed aware of this shift, joking at a judges’ conference last September about the “terrifying” prospect of full arguments on all the emergency cases where Trump had racked up early wins, asking, “Who’s going to argue all these cases…?”