On Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump made a post on his social media site,
Truth Social, calling for the impeachment of the U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg
after the judge issued an order blocking deportation flights. Trump invoked the Alien
Enemies Act of 1798, previously only used during wartime to deport members of the
Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua which he claimed were invading the US.
The last time that act was used was during World War II to incarcerate Germans and
Italians and place Japanese-American citizens into internment camps. Boasberg
responded quickly, as the government was already flying migrants that were recently
deemed deportable to Honduras and El Salvador.
Afterwards, Trump took to Truth Social to post about the judge and assert that he
should be impeached for limiting Trump’s attempts to expand presidential power, a
reaction that has been deemed inappropriate by appellate courts. While the powers that
be ensure that appropriate checks and balances are in place, Trump’s posts rally his
supporters against anyone who speaks out against him.
This clash between judicial and executive branches of the government continued behind
the scenes as deportation flights continued after Boasberg’s order, with Trump’s team
arguing that the Judge’s orders weren’t explicit.
While the House of Representatives has a slight Republican majority, a two-thirds
majority vote is required to impeach a judge, meaning the President’s recent rant on
Truth Social was no more than an emotional response to the Judge’s actions.
According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, President Trump has made
no mention of impeaching judges outside of his social media. While his posts are
powerless in a court of law, they do draw his supporters to his side during election
season when these positions that keep him in check are up for re-election, highlighting
the true power he holds.
