Trump unleashes MAGA rebellion on Federalist Society
Simmering tensions broke into full public view after Trump called longtime Federalist leader Leonard Leo a 'sleazebag' after a court blocked the bulk of Trump's tariffs.
The boiling point has unleashed a rebellion pitting the Make America Great Again movement against the conservative legal stronghold that helped Trump reshape the courts during his first term by offering up conservative judges as suggestions to fill benches across the country.
As the president embarks on choosing his next set of judicial nominees in his second-term, his decisions are now being shaped by a new, MAGA-branded team.
Inside the White House, judicial appointments are being spearheaded by chief of staff Susie Wiles, White House counsel David Warrington and Deputy White House counsel Steve Kenny.
The Federalist Society once played a central role in advising Trump's White House on those decisions. But in the president's second term, the process has shifted to include outside influence from the Article III Project, which is spearheaded by close Trump legal ally Mike Davis.
Davis served as chief counsel for nominations to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) during Trump's first term, where in that role he helped clear the way for the president's judicial nominees. David also previously clerked for Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, Trump's first nominee to the high court. His relationship with Trump grew closer after the FBI raided the president's Mar-a-Lago resort and he defended the president in the press.
Meanwhile, the Federalist Society looked the other way, Davis said in an interview with The Hill.
'They abandoned President Trump during the lawfare against him,' he said. 'And not only did they abandon him — they had several FedSoc leaders who participated in the lawfare and threw gas on the fire.'
It's a major shift from Trump's first term, when Trump's alliance with Leo was bountiful.
Trump ushered in a Supreme Court 6-3 conservative supermajority that left Federalist Society panelists popping champagne at one recent convention to celebrate their success.
Leo built the lists that Trump chose from to select his three high court nominees: Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
The three justices have delivered significant wins for the conservative legal movement, including expanding the Second Amendment, overturning the constitutional right to abortion, reining in federal agency power and reinforcing religious rights.
It culminated decades of efforts by Leo to challenge liberal legal orthodoxy by building a pipeline that propels young conservative attorneys into powerful judicial roles.
Fueled by a network of donors, Leo's groups have directed massive sums to conservative legal, political and public relations organizations, gaining him a villainous reputation among Democrats.
The Federalist Society has become a bastion of that project, with Leo serving as its longtime former executive vice president.
Formed in 1982 by a group of law students opposed to liberal ideology at prominent law schools, the Federalist Society has become a dominant force, though it officially takes no position on any legal or political issue as a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
But Trump is souring on the group in his second term as he expresses frustration with his judicial picks who've blocked parts of his agenda.
Last week, the president turned his ire toward Leo and the Federalist Society after the U.S. Court of International Trade blocked the bulk of his tariffs.
'I was new to Washington, and it was suggested that I use The Federalist Society as a recommending source on Judges,' Trump wrote in a winding post. 'I did so, openly and freely, but then realized that they were under the thumb of a real 'sleazebag' named Leonard Leo, a bad person who, in his own way, probably hates America, and obviously has his own separate ambitions.'
In a statement responding to the attack, Leo declined to attack Trump, instead praising him for 'transforming' the federal courts and calling it the president's 'most important legacy.'
Trump's post went on to slam the Federalist Society for the 'bad advice' it gave him on 'numerous' judicial nominations.
'This is something that cannot be forgotten!' Trump said.
A Federalist Society spokesperson did not return multiple requests for comment.
It remains unclear why Trump specifically targeted Leo in his response to the tariff ruling.
The trade court panel included one of Trump's own appointees, Judge Timothy Reif. Reif is a Democrat, as federal law required Trump to keep partisan balance on the trade court.
Steven Calabresi, who co-chairs the Federalist Society's board with Leo, submitted a friend-of-the-court brief in the case alongside other prominent conservative attorneys calling Trump's tariffs unlawful.
And the New Civil Liberties Alliance, a libertarian group that has received funding from entities associated with Leo, is suing Trump over his China tariffs on behalf of a small business, though that case was not the subject of last week's ruling.
But the splintering relationship between Trump and the Federalist Society has been 'brewing for years,' Davis said.
In January, allies of the president grew outraged online after Politico reported that a public relations firm chaired by Leo was assisting an advocacy group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence in a campaign to derail Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination.
Pence defended Leo and the Federalist Society on X Monday, calling them 'indispensable partners' throughout Trump's first term and suggesting conservative Americans owe the group a 'debt of gratitude.'
And beyond the cabinet, some prominent conservative attorneys have criticized Trump's nomination of Emil Bove, a close legal ally who worked as Trump's former criminal defense attorney, to a federal appeals court.
Ed Whelan, a Federalist Society mainstay and prominent conservative attorney who has been critical of Trump, has particularly gone after Trump's nomination of Bove, describing the attorney as a bully.
'Bove's admirers call him 'fearless,' but the same could be said of mafia henchmen,' Whelan wrote for the National Review.
Whelan's comments sparked rebuttals from the top levels of Trump's Justice Department.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who represented Trump with Bove, accused Whelan of being envious, saying he was leveling 'cheap shots.' Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the Justice Department's civil rights division, called it one of 'dumbest and nastiest headlines' she had ever seen.
'Some small minded men appear to be jealous and bitter that the best they can do is dictate their unedited mean girl thoughts into their phones and have some other mean girls publish the same,' Dhillon wrote on X.
Trump's second term presents another chance to elevate conservative-minded judicial nominees nationwide. Davis said there's no going back to the 2016 playbook.
'We have to update our playbook, and we have to have a different prototype for judges,' he said. 'They need to be bold and fearless, like Emil Bove.'
'And I'm not saying they need to be bold and fearless for Trump, he added. 'They need to be bold and fearless for the Constitution.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have been meeting for an hour behind closed doors at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are sitting alongside Trump. Putin is flanked by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov. The only other people in the room are translators. For the duration of this sit-down, there will be no reports about what Trump and Putin are saying to each other. Once they are done, broader "talks within the delegations, possibly in the form of a working lunch" are likely to follow, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitr Peskov. "After that, the heads of state will withdraw for some time" to consult with their advisors "and then come together for a joint press conference." All told, the process could last for six or seven hours, according to Peskov, meaning it might wrap up around 9 or 10 p.m. ET. Or not. 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President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin did not answer questions from reporters while posing earlier today for a red carpet photo op at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. But that didn't stop the press from asking — or rather, shouting — their questions anyway. And in one instance, it didn't stop Putin from gesturing in response. 'President Putin, will you agree to a ceasefire?' 'Mr. President, what's your message to Vladimir Putin?' 'Mr. Putin, did you underestimate Ukraine?' None of these queries provoked any real reaction from the two leaders, other than a few words to each other and a handshake for the cameras. But then someone asked Putin if he would 'stop killing civilians.' At that, Putin grimaced, pointed to his ear — as if to suggest that he couldn't hear — and shrugged. Trump and Putin then exchanged a few more words, smiled and stepped into the presidential limo. 'President Putin, how can the U.S. trust your word?' a reporter shouted as Trump ushered Putin away. The U.S. president raised his hand, as if to wave goodbye or signal 'that's enough' — and an aide said, 'Thank you, press.' Putin was again asked about "killing civilians" during a second photo op with additional U.S. and Russian officials, and he again reacted — this time by narrowing his eyes skeptically, cupping his hands around his mouth and addressing the reporter directly (though inaudibly to the microphones). The two leaders arrived at the building at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, where they plan to meet and hold their news conference later tonight. The fact that Trump and Putin rode together — without top aides and officials — in the U.S. presidential limo from the tarmac to the site of today's summit is significant. Why? Because it's so unusual. When Trump wanted North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un — another U.S. adversary — to join him in his car during their meeting in Singapore in 2018, advisers talked him out of it. Today's meeting with Putin was expanded from a one-on-one to a three-on-three at the last minute. But Trump and Putin still made sure to get some alone time beforehand — even if they had to carve it out during a brief car ride. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov will be joining Putin in his conversation with Trump, RIA Novosti, a Russian state news agency, said, according to the Associated Press. RIA Novosti got the names from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Putin, Lavrov and Ushakov will meet with Trump, Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff soon. President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin emerged from their respective planes and proceeded down an L-shaped red carpet at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, before meeting for a handshake. At 11:07 a.m. local time, Trump deplaned first from Air Force One. Putin followed seconds later. Trump waited for Putin to approach him for the handshake; he briefly applauded as Putin got closer. The two exchanged words for several seconds before walking together toward reporters and posing for a side-by-side photo op while American fighter jets flew overhead. The two leaders then entered the U.S. presidential limo (nicknamed "The Beast") to ride together to today's summit. Russian President Vladimir Putin has landed in Anchorage, Alaska. Air Force One touched down about 30 minutes ago at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, the military base in Anchorage where President Trump will meet with Putin this afternoon. Trump has been greeting Alaska lawmakers on board as he awaits Putin's arrival.
