While responding to questions at Monday's White House Farmer Roundtable, President Donald Trump sounded off on Republican senators' insistence on keeping the blue slip in place. The blue slip is a Senate procedural rule used to bring U.S. attorney and judge appointments to the Senate floor, and as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) could rescind its use. Despite Trump's repeated request to see it removed, Grassley thus far has refused to consider it.
The blue slip tradition is a relic of Senate cronyism that prioritizes political games over judicial efficiency. While Senator Grassley highlights blocking Biden’s nominees, the reality is this outdated custom now hinders President Trump’s constitutional authority to appoint… pic.twitter.com/NgC9azJTtT
— Brett Laird Francis Doyle MCS (@BrettDoyleMCS) August 26, 2025
The blue slip tradition is a relic of Senate cronyism that prioritizes political games over judicial efficiency. While Senator Grassley highlights blocking Biden’s nominees, the reality is this outdated custom now hinders President Trump’s constitutional authority to appoint America-First judges and prosecutors.
The Restoring Executive Power To Appoint United States Attorneys Act of 2025 (S.2634) directly addresses this by stripping the Senate’s ability to indefinitely stall nominees through procedural sabotage. Judicial vacancies aren’t about “input”—they’re about D.C. elites clinging to power.
If Grassley truly wants conservative victories, he’d stop enabling a system that lets a single senator veto accountability. The Constitution doesn’t have a “blue slip” clause for a reason.
At the roundtable, the reporter asked for Trump's comment on the resignation of acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, Alina Habba. The left has worked overtime, using the courts to block Habba's ability to move permanently into the position. When the reporter used the wording, "the courts disqualified her," it's as though she lit a match under Trump.
Dive Deeper: Just In: Alina Habba Posts Stunning Announcement About Her Future
We Need to Talk About the Senate's 'Blue Slip' Tradition and How It's Derailing Trump's Agenda
WATCH:
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump RIPS the Senate GOP and Chuck Grassley for letting Democrats obstruct his appointment of US Attorney Alina Habba and others
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 8, 2025
*SEVEN* US Attorneys will have to quit soon because the GOP IS DOING NOTHING.
"If I put up GEORGE WASHINGTON [in] Virginia… pic.twitter.com/UpN2bUTK7h
Read More: Lawfare Strikes Again: Judges Derail Trump’s Pick, Force Habba Out of Top Prosecutor Role in NJ
She's not disqualified. You've got a blue slip thing that's horrible. It's a horrible thing. It makes it impossible to appoint a judge or a U.S. attorney, and it's a shame. And the Republicans should be ashamed of themselves that they allow this to go on. Because I can't appoint a U.S. attorney that's not a Democrat. Because they put a block on it. So, if you appoint in Virginia, or in New Jersey, or in California a U.S. attorney or a judge. The judge situation is ridiculous. The only people that you can get by are Democrats. Because they will put a hold on it.
If I put up George Washington and Abraham Lincoln to be U.S. attorney in New Jersey, or to be U.S. attorney in Virginia, we have Democrat senators, they will not approve them.
This is a gentlemen's agreement that's lasted for too long. Especially in light of what's going on today. It means you can't appoint a Republican U.S. attorney.
And we don't play the same game with them, but they do. And I hope that somebody speaks to Senator Grassley about doing something about the blue slip. Because I'm telling you, John, I put up great people. Top people. Highest education. The best lawyers to be, like U.S. attorney, and both senators, it only takes one, but if they're Democrat senators they say, "We're not going to approve it." I had a couple of them say, "Why don't you appoint Democrats?" All because Senator Grassley, with his blue slip stuff, will not let anybody go by.
By the way, the Democrats have violated the blue slip provision on numerous occasions, but we don't do it. And what it means, is, I guess, we'll just have to keep appointing people for three months, and then just appoint another one, another one. And it's a very sad situation. We're losing tremendous... We're losing a lot of great people. We have about seven U.S. attorneys who are not going to be able to keep their jobs for much longer because of the blue slip. Because, unless... I think I know why they did that: to protect their ass, okay? That's why they did that. It should be done away with. I want to be able to appoint great, the most highly educated, the most respected people can't keep their jobs because of the blue slip. Terrible.
You could hear the frustration in the president's voice. Trump said the blue slip has lasted for "too long. Especially in light of what's going on today." Everything from illegal immigration and border policy, to the Somali corruption in Minnesota, to the changes to policies at the USDA and HHS is reliant upon who is in place in the judiciary and in the U.S. attorneys' offices. We are getting the full taste of this with the perpetual lawfare of over 500 cases (and counting) being waged against the Trump administration over everything from ICE enforcement to birthright citizenship to the White House ballroom.
My RedState colleague Teri Christoph cogently explained why the blue slip process has become a huge issue.
While the filibuster lets senators extend floor debate in an effort to prevent a bill from coming to a vote, the blue slip lets them put the kibosh on certain federal nominees (think district court judges, U.S. attorneys and U.S. marshals) in their home state, thus preventing those nominations from coming to a vote.
Why is this important? Because the use of the blue slip tradition – despite Republicans holding the majority in the Senate – is currently derailing President Trump's efforts to place some of his most high-profile nominees into key roles in blue states. And having prosecutorial power in states run by Democrats, particularly those of the most corrupt kinds, gives the president an important check on the left's agenda.
Think about it: The main reason you have attorneys like New York Attorney General Letitia James, former assistant U.S. attorney Jack Smith in D.C., and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison wielding undue influence and partnering in corruption is because Democrats refuse to allow conservative or Republican attorneys and judges who adhere to the law and are constitutionally sound to even come up for confirmation. So, particularly in blue states, there is no bulwark against the corruption.
In August, Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney (NY-24) made it clear that it is Republicans who are at issue here, and why it is critical to remove the blue slip.
WATCH:
For years, Chuck Schumer used the “blue slip” tradition to block every single one of President Trump’s judicial and U.S. attorney nominees in New York.
— Rep. Claudia Tenney (@RepTenney) August 26, 2025
Democrats play to win. Meanwhile, Republicans tie our own hands. We need strong conservative judges & U.S. attorneys. Our… pic.twitter.com/q76kUwILcc
For years, Chuck Schumer used the “blue slip” tradition to block every single one of President Trump’s judicial and U.S. attorney nominees in New York.
Democrats play to win. Meanwhile, Republicans tie our own hands. We need strong conservative judges & U.S. attorneys. Our country can’t afford anything less.
Trump has been hammering this drum since before August, when he took to Truth Social to call out Grassley's reluctance to stop using this Senate rule.
I have a Constitutional Right to appoint Judges and U.S. Attorneys, but that RIGHT has been completely taken away from me in States that have just one Democrat United States Senator. This is because of an old and outdated “custom” known as a BLUE SLIP, that Senator Chuck Grassley, of the Great State of Iowa, refuses to overturn, even though the Democrats, including Crooked Joe Biden (Twice!), have done so on numerous occasions. Therefore, the only candidates that I can get confirmed for these most important positions are, believe it or not, Democrats! Chuck Grassley should allow strong Republican candidates to ascend to these very vital and powerful roles, and tell the Democrats, as they often tell us, to go to HELL!
In late October, Trump further drove home his point during the Republican Senate luncheon, where he practically pleaded with them to ditch the blue slip.
WATCH:
President Trump urges GOP senators to look at the Blue Slip rule to get his US Attorneys confirmed: "This is not constitutional. I have 10 phenomenal people and they are going to have to leave office. It's unfair to the public because the public voted for me in a landslide." pic.twitter.com/YNxFpJRPm6
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) October 21, 2025
In November, Grassley claimed offense and disappointment over the president's views. Grassley also alleged that the people in "real America" do not know or care about the blue slip.
WATCH:
Remember Chuck Grassley was offended he got called out by President Trump on the “Blue Slip” tradition.
— C3 (@C_3C_3) November 24, 2025
This was days before Chuck Grassley and the Senate began their 30 day vacation.
They still have not confirmed important picks.
Trump was right again.pic.twitter.com/ujOUn4dIv1
Grassley is wrong: The American people do care about the blue slip issue, especially when it is clearly being used to derail the president's attorney and judicial appointments. Trump is not going to let this go, particularly with judicial and U.S. attorney appointments still hanging in the balance. It's time for the obstruction to end, and removing the blue slip would be a huge step in facilitating this.
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