President Donald Trump shut down a HuffPost reporter on Sunday as he traveled on Air Force One to New Orleans, Louisiana, to take in Super Bowl LIX.
S.V. Date, HuffPost’s senior White House correspondent, was also on board the president; plane — and asked Trump about a comment he claimed was made earlier in the day by Vice President JD Vance.
WATCH:
President Trump demolishes Fake News “reporter” @svdate on Air Force One:
POTUS: “I don’t know even what you’re talking about. Neither do you. Who are you with?”@svdate: “HuffPost, sir.”
POTUS: “No wonder. I thought they died.” pic.twitter.com/kNB0359aJA
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 9, 2025
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“The Vice President suggested that if the Supreme Court rules in a way that you don’t like, they could just enforce it by themselves. Do you agree with that?” Date asked.
“I don’t know even what you’re talking about,” Trump replied, adding, “Neither do you. Who are you with?”
“Huffpost, Sir,” was Date’s reply.
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“Who?” Trump asked again.
“Huffpost,” Date repeated.
“Ah, no wonder,” Trump shot back. “I thought they were – I thought they died. They’re still around? I haven’t read them in years, I thought they died.”
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The president then pivoted to address the other reporters on the flight, saying, “All right, go ahead. Who else?”
The comment Date was referencing, which Vance made in response to U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan after he moved to block Elon Musk’s Department Of Government Efficiency from accessing U.S. Treasury Department payment systems.
“If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal. If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that’s also illegal. Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power,” Vance posted.
If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal.
If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that's also illegal.
Judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) February 9, 2025
Democrats and media immediately claimed that meant Vance and Trump planned to ignore the constitutional checks and balances and would disregard any Supreme Court decision that did not allow them to fully implement their agenda — in much the same way that former President Joe Biden had when the Supreme Court ruled against his unconstitutional student debt forgiveness.
Rep. Dan Goldman responded via X, saying, “It’s called the ‘rule of law’ @jdvance. Our constitution created three co-equal branches of government to provide checks and balances on each other (‘separation of powers’). The judiciary makes sure that the executive follows the law. If you do, then you won’t have problems.”
It’s called the “rule of law” @jdvance.
Our constitution created three co-equal branches of government to provide checks and balances on each other (“separation of powers”).
The judiciary makes sure that the executive follows the law.
If you do, then you won’t have problems. https://t.co/4L4WOWnEDX
— Daniel Goldman (@danielsgoldman) February 9, 2025
What every critic conveniently ignored was that Vance had already made it clear he was only talking about legal actions taken by the executive when he said, “Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.”
