{"id":2586262,"date":"2026-04-01T17:26:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T21:26:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-suck-their-widdle-thumbs-over-trump-intimidation-at-scotus\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T17:28:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T21:28:44","slug":"media-suck-their-widdle-thumbs-over-trump-intimidation-at-scotus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-suck-their-widdle-thumbs-over-trump-intimidation-at-scotus\/","title":{"rendered":"Media Suck Their Widdle Thumbs Over Trump &#8216;Intimidation&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmedia-suck-their-widdle-thumbs-over-trump-intimidation-at-scotus%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2586262&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The piece analyzes Trump\u2019s brief attendance at a Supreme Court session to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >discuss birthright citizenship adn argues<\/a> the moment functioned more as theatrical intimidation than a real threat. It <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-hype-rogue-judges-attacks-on-scotus\/\" title=\"Media Hype Rogue Judges&#039; Attacks On SCOTUS\">critiques media coverage<\/a>, especially Maddowblog\u2019s Steve Benen, for not explaining what pressure or mechanism Trump could actually exert on lifetime-tenured justices. The author notes that outlets like PBS NewsHour and The New York times describe the scene as theater and question the claimed intimidation, while suggesting the symbolism was more distracting than coercive. The article also points to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-hate-anyone-who-doesnt-love-crime-and-fraud-as-much-as-they-do-even-leftists-13\/\" title=\"Democrats Hate A Bunch Of Democrats, And It&#039;s Hilarious\">social-media snippets<\/a> and a Schumer-related clip as examples of how commentators frame the incident, and it playfully scoffs at the idea that such gestures could intimidate the justices in any meaningful way.Chris Bray, a former infantry sergeant and history PhD, signs off with his bio and links to related articles on topics such as Donald Trump, SCOTUS, and intimidation.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=St-45wOMeOM\">Associated Press \/ YouTube<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/01\/media-suck-their-widdle-thumbs-over-trump-intimidation-at-scotus\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Media%20Suck%20Their%20Widdle%20Thumbs%20Over%20Trump%20%E2%80%98Intimidation%E2%80%99%20At%20SCOTUS&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/01\/media-suck-their-widdle-thumbs-over-trump-intimidation-at-scotus\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Media%20Suck%20Their%20Widdle%20Thumbs%20Over%20Trump%20%E2%80%98Intimidation%E2%80%99%20At%20SCOTUS&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/01\/media-suck-their-widdle-thumbs-over-trump-intimidation-at-scotus\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/01\/media-suck-their-widdle-thumbs-over-trump-intimidation-at-scotus\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Media%20Suck%20Their%20Widdle%20Thumbs%20Over%20Trump%20%E2%80%98Intimidation%E2%80%99%20At%20SCOTUS&amp;body=Not%20explained:%20What%20can%20Trump%20do%20to%20the%20Supreme%20Court?%20Overturn%20birthright%20citizenship%20or%20else%20(fill%20in%20blank).%20If%20you%20can't%20fill%20in%20the%20blank,%20the%20argument%20is%20not%20an%20argument.%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/01\/media-suck-their-widdle-thumbs-over-trump-intimidation-at-scotus\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Man sits in chair, world trembles.<\/p>\n<p>President Donald Trump briefly attended the session of the Supreme Court on Wednesday in which the justices considered the administration&rsquo;s efforts to limit the meaning of birthright citizenship. Explaining the moment with their usual calm and good sense, legacy media explained that Trump was more or less performing the teamwork scene from <em>The Untouchables<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1556395524\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"t2JUGrwdyUnvXOZKe4HqWPNxchTymBQsSRjQlYDv00B7EguW85Mah9pGMe9pnmKDNY2La5gcFzSk\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ratio ratio-16x9\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Untouchables (1987) - Teamwork\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9WW8nf5Llp4?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>At MS Now&rsquo;s Maddowblog, Rachel Maddow producer Steve Benen <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ms.now\/rachel-maddow-show\/maddowblog\/why-trump-attending-supreme-court-birthright-citizenship-arguments\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">explained<\/a> that Trump sitting in a chair was &ldquo;part of a ham-fisted intimidation campaign: By literally showing up in person, it&rsquo;s possible that Trump, who appointed a third of the court&rsquo;s justices, thought he could apply extra pressure to those who will decide the case&rsquo;s fate.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Not explained: <em>What is the pressure?<\/em> What can Trump <em>do<\/em> to the Supreme Court, and to justices who have lifetime appointments? What, precisely, was the nature of the threat being made by the use of a chair? Overturn birthright citizenship or else (fill in blank). If you can&rsquo;t fill in the blank, the argument is not an argument.<\/p>\n<p>Benen fatally stabs his own panicked argument in the course of making the stupid thing, quickly adding that &ldquo;justices don&rsquo;t want to be seen as obedient White House loyalists, and it&rsquo;s easy to imagine Trump&rsquo;s stunt backfiring.&rdquo; If you can come up with that kind of deep insight, there&rsquo;s a career waiting for you in Rachel Maddow&rsquo;s office.<\/p>\n<p>The intimidation theme, vague and unexplained as it is, keeps limping onto the stage today.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"y3kV7EmzW\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This is intimidation, plain and simple. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/AOfcCcCHrZ\">https:\/\/t.co\/AOfcCcCHrZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GovPritzker\/status\/2039359344077115729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 1, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>But no one can ever say <em>how<\/em>. What is the mechanism of the threat?<\/p>\n<p>Writing that Trump&rsquo;s brief and silent presence in a chair was &ldquo;a previously unheard of flex of presidential power and prerogative,&rdquo; PBS News <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/politics\/whispers-in-the-supreme-court-as-trump-takes-a-front-row-seat-for-oral-arguments\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">adds<\/a> this important detail:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>His attendance added a heightened sense of theater to the otherwise staid setting. The actor Robert DeNiro, a strident Trump critic, was also in the courtroom, seated in the justices&rsquo; guest box reserved for friends and family.<\/p>\n<p>The two did not speak.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Was DeNiro also attempting to be intimidating? Sources are silent on this important question. In the movie version, Al Pacino plays all nine justices.<\/p>\n<p>Pumping industrial-strength <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fear,_uncertainty,_and_doubt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FUD<\/a>, The New York Times <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/01\/us\/politics\/trump-supreme-court-visit.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">offers<\/a> this sensible subhed, pulled from the text of the story: &ldquo;President Trump&rsquo;s presence in the court puts him face to face with justices whom he has tried to bully and intimidate.&rdquo; The Times adds that Trump &ldquo;has long attacked judges who defy him,&rdquo; but they don&rsquo;t describe the <em>attack<\/em>. He &hellip; said that he disagreed with them? Is that what it means?<\/p>\n<p>The star of <em>The Apprentice<\/em> knows how to draw attention, and today he did just that. He signaled that he wants people to look at something. He drew some eyeballs. He probably didn&rsquo;t terrify the justices of the Supreme Court, eight functioning adults plus Ketanji Brown Jackson, into submission. Let&rsquo;s all just calm down, already.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to see what it looks like when some braindead idiot of an elected official tries to threaten the Supreme Court, by the way, we actually have a pretty good real example. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"i450sdYQK8ChtwPLrB1OcHo237ulbZy\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ratio ratio-16x9\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Schumer accused of threatening Kavanaugh and Gorsuch during rally\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yu-7L5W6Rew?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Not that Schumer could have actually done much to the court, either. If only he had realized that the <em>real<\/em> way to terrify and intimidate the Supreme Court was to sit silently in a chair for a few minutes.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Chris Bray is a former infantry sergeant in the U.S. Army, and has a history PhD from the University of California Los Angeles, not that it did him any good. He also posts on Substack, at &#8220;Tell Me How This Ends,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbray.substack.com\/\">here<\/a>.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Chris Bray<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/chrisbray\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/intimidation\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">intimidation<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/ms-now\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">MS NOW<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/new-york-times\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">New York Times<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/pants-wetting\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">pants-wetting<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/pbs-news\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">PBS News<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/rachel-maddow\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Rachel Maddow<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/scary-chair\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">scary chair<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/scotus\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">SCOTUS<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/steve-benen\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Steve Benen<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Supreme Court<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here are paraphrase options. If you want a different tone or length, tell me.<\/p>\n<p>55-character caption (fits the limit exactly):<br \/>\n&#8211; Trump attends SCOTUS session; chair scene stirs debate.<\/p>\n<p>Other short option:<br \/>\n&#8211; Trump\u2019s chair moment at Supreme Court stirs debate.<\/p>\n<p>Longer paraphrase (summary of the excerpt):<br \/>\n&#8211; The piece notes that Trump briefly attended a Supreme Court session about birthright citizenship and frames the moment as a theatrical intimidation tactic by some commentators. It questions what kind of pressure the act could exert, if any, and criticizes media commentators for offering vague or unfounded claims about how the justices might be intimidated. It suggests the overall reaction was overstated, offering little in the way of concrete mechanism or evidence of coercion.<\/p>\n<p>Would you like a longer, more neutral summary or a version with a specific tone (e.g., more balanced, more critical)?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2086,"featured_media":2586263,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/trump-supreme-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651],"tags":[13306,56439,4604,3634],"class_list":["post-2586262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","tag-intimidation","tag-media-bias-2","tag-press","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/trump-supreme-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2586262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2086"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2586262"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2586262\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2586266,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2586262\/revisions\/2586266"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2586263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2586262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2586262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2586262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}