ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos cuts off Republican Sen. JD Vance (Ohio) on Sunday after he suggested that Donald Trump could defy the U.S. Supreme Court.
In an interview on This Week, Stephanopoulos asked Vance about comments he made in 2021 urging Trump to “fire every single mid-level bureaucrat, every civil servant in the administrative state, replace them with our people” and ignore the Supreme Court telling him to stop.
Vance said Trump should “stand before the country like Andrew Jackson did and say the Chief Justice has made his ruling, now let him enforce it.”
“Fire everyone in the government then defy the Supreme Court? You think it’s OK for the president to defy the Supreme Court?” Stephanopolous asked, according to a clip shared by Mediaite.
Vance dodged the question, instead he argued that bureaucrats in the government were not acting on orders from the administration.
“That’s a fundamental component of our government, George, that whoever is in charge agree or disagree with him, you have to follow the rules,” Vance added. “If those people aren’t following the rules, then of course you have to fire them and of course the president has to run the government as he thinks he should. That’s the way the Constitution works.”
“The Constitution also says the president must abide by legitimate Supreme Court rulings, doesn’t it?” Stephanopoulos pressed.
“The Constitution says that the Supreme Court can make rulings but if the Supreme Court—and look, I hoped that they would not do this—but if the Supreme Court said the president of the United States can’t fire a general, that would be an illegitimate ruling,” Vance said. “The president has to have Article II prerogative under the Constitution to actually run the military as he sees fit. This is just basic constitutional legitimacy.”
“You made it very clear, the president can defy the Supreme Court. Thanks for your time this morning,” Stephanopoulos said.
“No, no, no, George–,” Vance could be heard saying before his mic was cut and the show went to a commercial break.
