NEW YORK — Conservative legal activist Leonard Leo helped President Donald Trump transform the federal judiciary in his first term. He closely advised Trump on his Supreme Court picks and is widely credited as the architect of the conservative majority responsible for overturning Roe v. Wade.
But Trump last week lashed out at Leo, blaming his former adviser and the group Leo used to head for encouraging him to appoint judges who are now blocking his agenda. Trump called Leo, the former longtime leader of the conservative Federalist Society, a “real ‘sleazebag'” and “bad person who, in his own way, probably hates America.”
Trump’s broadsides came after a three-judge panel at the U.S. Court of International Trade blocked his sweeping tariffs, ruling that he had overstepped his authority when he invoked the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to declare a national emergency and levy tariffs on imports from almost every country in the world.
While an appeals court soon intervened and allowed the administration to continue collecting the tariffs while the legal fight plays out, the decision — and Trump’s fury at Leo — underscored the extent to which the judiciary is serving as a rare check on Trump’s power as he pushes the bounds of executive authority. The judiciary has intervened as he has ordered mass deportations, deep cuts to university funding and the firing of federal workers en masse.
Trump’s words reflect his broad frustrations with the judiciary, including members of the Supreme Court he appointed on Leo’s recommendation, who have allowed some of his more controversial efforts to move forward, but blocked others.
Trump’s rhetoric also appeared to be a tactic to shift blame for setbacks to his agenda — this time notably pointing the finger at a person who once helped Trump build credibility with conservative voters. But it’s unclear what — if anything — Leo had to do with the tariff decision.
Leo said that neither he nor the Federalist Society was involved in shaping appointments to the trade court. He offered only praise for Trump.
“I’m very grateful for President Trump transforming the Federal Courts, and it was a privilege being involved,” he said in a statement. “There’s more work to be done, for sure, but the Federal Judiciary is better than it’s ever been in modern history, and that will be President Trump’s most important legacy.”
Trump’s fury came via Truth Social after the court tried to halt the central plank of the president’s economic agenda: sweeping tariffs that have rattled global financial markets, dismayed longtime trading partners and prompted warnings about higher prices and inflation.
In response, Trump issued a lengthy and angry missive criticizing the judges behind the decision, accusing them of “destroying America” and saying he hoped the Supreme Court would quickly reverse “this horrible, Country threatening decision.”
Trump then referred to his first term as president, saying he “was new to Washington, and it was suggested that I use The Federalist Society as a recommending source on Judges. 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.”
“I am so disappointed in The Federalist Society because of the bad advice they gave me on numerous Judicial Nominations,” he wrote. “This is something that cannot be forgotten!” He added: “Backroom ‘hustlers’ must not be allowed to destroy our Nation!”
The White House did not respond to questions about why Trump blamed Leo and the Federalist Society for the decision, but Taylor Rogers, a White House spokesperson, doubled down, calling Leo “a bad person who cares more about his personal ambitions than our country.”
President Donald Trump speaks at U.S. Steel Corporation’s Mon Valley Works-Irvin plant, Friday, May 30, 2025, in West Mifflin, Pa. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)