The Daily Populous Wednesday May 21st, 2025 morning edition
Authored by newrepublic.com and submitted by Hafiz_TNR

“There is a division in our government between the federal branch and the judicial branch. No judge, and the judicial branch, cannot tell me or the president how to conduct foreign policy,” Rubio said. “No judge can tell how I have to outreach to a foreign partner or what I need to say to them. And if do reach to that foreign partner and talk to them, I am under no obligation to share that with the judiciary branch.”

FIREWORKS: Marco Rubio just declared that he doesn't have to comply with the judiciary after clashing with Senator Chris Van Hollen who asked him to stop making unsubstantiated claims about Kilmar Abrego Garcia. pic.twitter.com/wC9TJRP3Zp — CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) May 20, 2025

First of all, Rubio completely gets the branches of government wrong, as there are three of them: the executive branch, consisting of the presidency; the legislative branch, comprising Congress; and the judicial branch, made up of the federal court system. But perhaps even more troubling, Rubio also declared that he did not believe in the Constitution’s separation of powers, in which the three branches exist together in a system of checks and balances.

Rubio betrayed what seems to be the Trump administration’s actual beliefs about the U.S. government: that the presidency is more like an absolute monarchy that isn’t subject to congressional or judicial oversight. The conservative-controlled Supreme Court seems to have inspired that belief last year in its ruling on presidential immunity. Now, as President Trump deports immigrants without evidence or due process, we are seeing the actions of a president who believes he is above the law.

K4RM4_P0L1C3 on May 20th, 2025 at 23:31 UTC »

Let’s dispel this fiction that Judges have no authority over Rubio and the Trump administration. They know exactly that the courts have authority over them.

beadzy on May 20th, 2025 at 22:57 UTC »

Dude has no right to immunity. Praying for a day the tables turn

BlotchComics on May 20th, 2025 at 22:56 UTC »

MAGA is working very hard to get rid of the "checks and balances" part of the Constitution.

They've already proven that there is no way for the Judicial to enforce rulings against the Executive and have shown us that they can ignore the Supreme Court with no fear of consequences.