The outburst came after several prosecutors personally chosen by Donald Trump, all strong MAGA loyalists, were removed from their positions by the courts. After these setbacks, Trump reacted with anger and turned that frustration on members of his own party.
Just days after two of his close allies, Alina Habba and Lindsey Halligan, were disqualified from serving as top prosecutors in New Jersey and Eastern Virginia, Trump publicly attacked a long-standing Senate process that affects how judges and federal prosecutors are approved. He accused Republicans in the Senate of allowing rules that make it harder for him to place loyal supporters in powerful legal roles.
Using his Truth Social platform, Trump focused his anger on something called the “blue slip” tradition. This is a long-standing Senate practice that allows senators from a nominee’s home state to approve or block judicial and U.S. attorney appointments. If even one home-state senator objects, the nomination usually cannot move forward.
Trump argued that this process unfairly blocks Republican nominees, especially in states where there is at least one Democratic senator. According to him, even highly qualified Republican candidates are rejected simply because Democrats refuse to sign off on them. He claimed that this leaves only far-left Democrats able to get approved for these positions.
He went further by demanding that Senate Majority Leader John Thune step in and end the blue slip process altogether. Trump said that without scrapping the rule, Republicans he described as “great” were being forced out and denied approval again and again. He framed the issue as a betrayal by Republicans who, in his view, were allowing Democrats to control the courts.
However, John Thune did not agree. In a rare moment of pushback against Trump, he publicly defended the blue slip tradition. Thune explained that the process has existed for a very long time and is supported by both Republicans and Democrats because it gives senators a say in who is appointed to powerful legal positions in their own states. He also pointed out that Trump’s nominees had actually been approved at a very high rate, contradicting the president’s claim that the system was blocking everyone.
Thune made it clear that he does not expect the rule to change. He emphasized that many Republicans, both on and off the Senate Judiciary Committee, strongly support keeping the blue slip process exactly as it is.
Trump’s anger comes at a sensitive time, as the courts have recently ruled that several of his appointees were serving unlawfully. Alina Habba, one of Trump’s most vocal defenders, was forced to step down as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor after an appeals court ruled that her appointment violated federal law. The court’s decision meant she could not legally continue in the role.
Habba has been one of Trump’s most loyal legal allies, defending him in major cases, including the defamation lawsuit brought by writer E. Jean Carroll and the New York civil fraud case that found Trump had exaggerated the value of his properties. After the ruling, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the court’s decision made it impossible for Habba to properly run her office, claiming judges were interfering with cases involving violent criminals.
Habba is not the only Trump pick to face this outcome. Lindsey Halligan, another MAGA loyalist, was also removed after being appointed to prosecute people Trump considered enemies, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Her appointment followed the refusal of her predecessor to bring charges against those figures.
Other Trump-backed prosecutors, including Sigal Chatta in Nevada and Bill Essayli in California’s Central District, were also disqualified after courts found their appointments did not comply with federal rules.
The blue slip system itself has been part of the Senate’s process for decades. Under this system, both senators from the nominee’s home state are asked whether they support or oppose a candidate. If a senator refuses to return the blue slip or submits a negative one, the Senate Judiciary Committee usually will not hold a hearing or advance the nomination.
Despite Trump’s public pressure and angry demands, Senate leadership has made it clear that the rule is staying. Thune has stated plainly that the tradition is deeply supported and is not going anywhere, even as Trump continues to push for changes that would give him more direct control over who fills key legal positions.
