Courting Disaster: Trump Attempts to Erode the Separation of Powers

The Briefing with Jen Psaki

NBC News

News, Politics

4.5 • 664 Ratings

🗓️ 23 March 2025

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jen Psaki breaks down Donald Trump's unprecedented assault on the judicial branch of government, explaining how the administration's defiant attitude toward the court breaks with that of former presidents who were dealt tough rulings in the past. Representative Jamie Raskin joins to discuss the implications of their defiance, and the danger the administration poses to due process under the law. Next, Jen is joined by the chair of the Progressive Caucus in the House, Representative Greg Casar, who was with Bernie Sanders and AOC on their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour. They discuss the massive turnout at these rallies and how hearing from angry voters directly could shake up the party. Jen also reflects on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s handling of the GOP's government funding bill, and the implications for Democrats if they don't find a strategy moving forward. New York Times correspondents Annie Karni and Luke Broadwater later join Jen to talk about their new book “Mad House” and the evolution of Congressional dysfunction, as well their thoughts on what’s happening in Democratic leadership. Finally Jen discusses Elon Musk’s growing Tesla problem, and the scuttled plan to brief him on U.S. plan in case of war with China.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Okay, Donald Trump spent the week attacking judges and continuing to ignore court orders.
0:05.0	And unfortunately, history doesn't really offer us a guide here.
0:09.0	Lucky for us, Congressman Jamie Raskin is probably the best guide you could hope for,
0:13.0	and he's coming up first.
0:15.0	Plus, Bernie Sanders and AOC turn out more than 80,000 people during a string of rallies out west.
0:21.4	Congressman Greg Kazar joined them on stage yesterday in Arizona, and he's going to join me in just a few minutes.
0:27.3	And later, the phrase conflict of interest doesn't even begin to describe what Elon Musk is up to.
0:33.4	We'll talk about why Tesla is struggling big time right now and how Musk is trying to use his co-presidency to help it.
0:48.3	Okay. So right now, just to sum it up, I know you all have been paying very close attention,
0:55.8	but Donald Trump is ignoring court orders. He's attacking every aspect of the legal system,
1:01.7	including law firms, and he's standing by as threats against judges continue to arise.
1:07.6	And I just want to start by stating perhaps what sounds extremely obvious here, this is not
1:12.5	normal, and I mean by historical standards, too. I mean, ignoring a judge's order is not at all
1:18.3	normal. Insulting and attacking a judge on social media or whatever form of communications there may
1:23.4	have been at my point in history is not normal. And calling for judges' impeachment, simply because you didn't like their ruling, is
1:30.2	definitely not normal.
1:32.2	I mean, look, lots of presidents have been met at lots of judges in the past throughout
1:36.2	history.
1:37.1	I mean, for our history, both presidents of both parties have had courts rule against them.
1:42.2	But none of them acted like Donald Trump. Let's go back to
1:46.4	1952. President Truman seized control of steel mills to make sure there was continued production
1:53.3	during the Korean War. The Supreme Court said he acted unconstitutionally, which would make
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