If you’ve been paying attention since President Trump’s return to the White House, you’ve probably noticed he’s on a collision course with the entire federal judiciary—and he’s not slowing down for traffic.
Earlier this week, Trump issued a round of presidential pardons for individuals convicted of crimes like bank fraud, tax evasion, and bribery. Included were reality TV figures Todd and Julie Chrisley—parents of Republican influencer Savannah Chrisley—whose convictions became media fodder under Biden’s DOJ. Cue the establishment outrage.
But unlike the last guy, Trump isn’t hiding behind closed doors. As conservative commentator Scott Jennings said Wednesday on CNN, the pardons are happening “out in the open,” not “at the 11th hour as we’re on our way up to the Capitol.” He was, of course, referring to Joe Biden’s final hours in office, when a flurry of questionable pardons were signed with barely a press release.
In fact, Biden issued last-minute clemency to several political allies—some say NeverTrumpers—including Anthony Fauci and Liz Cheney. Fauci’s “science” had already been unraveling, and Cheney’s career had all but flatlined in Wyoming.
But the real question isn’t who got pardoned—it’s who signed them. With Biden’s well-documented cognitive decline, many Americans were left wondering: was Joe even aware of what was being signed in his name?
Jennings didn’t mince words. He described Biden’s inner circle as a “Politburo”, a tight ring of unelected operatives running the country while Joe squinted into teleprompters and wandered off camera.
By contrast, Trump has taken full public responsibility for every pardon. Love them or hate them, he’s owning the decisions. And that’s exactly what terrifies the establishment.
One pardon in particular—ex-sheriff Scott Howard Jenkins, convicted of bribery under Biden’s DOJ—came with a statement calling him “a victim of an overzealous Biden Department of Justice.” It’s a direct accusation that the justice system was not only biased—but weaponized.
And let’s be honest: many conservatives who spent years defending the law-and-order system are now having to admit something uncomfortable. The system is broken. Trump saw it. His supporters lived it. And now that he’s back in office, he’s fighting it head-on.
But it’s more than just a few bad actors or politicized prosecutors. Trump is calling out the judicial structure itself—especially the unelected, lifetime-appointed judges who act like constitutional monarchs. If the judiciary can override the president’s constitutional authority—particularly under Article II—then we’re not a republic anymore. We’re a banana republic in robes.
Late Thursday night, Trump took to Truth Social to blast the U.S. Court of International Trade for trying to interfere with his tariff powers. But he didn’t stop there. He targeted the entire process of judicial nominations, saying, “Backroom hustlers must not be allowed to destroy our Nation!” and warning that “Radical Left Judges, together with some very bad people, are destroying America.”
So no, this isn’t just about pardons. It’s not even about the DOJ. It’s about a corrupt legal system that no longer serves the Constitution or the people.
Trump’s latest round of pardons should be seen for what they are: a political statement wrapped in executive power. He’s not trying to hide his disdain for the swamp—he’s daring it to fight back.
And it will. The judiciary and the administrative state aren’t going down without a fight. But for the first time in a long time, we’ve got a president who isn’t backing down. He’s not whispering his reforms in secret. He’s shouting them from the Oval Office, with the Constitution in one hand and a veto pen in the other.
So buckle up. The collision between The People’s President and the system that tried to destroy him is underway. And this time, the swamp’s not holding the wheel.