Donald J.Trump hails Supreme Court “Slaughter” ruling as biggest boost to presidential power in a century
The 6-3 decision in Trump v. Slaughter overturns a 91-year-old precedent and lets the president fire heads of independent executive agencies at will.
WHITE HOUSE — Donald J.Trump celebrated the Supreme Court’s ruling in Trump v. Slaughter as the greatest expansion of presidential authority in 100 years on a Truth Social post on June 29, 2026 at 1:40 PM EST.
Here is the full post (see truthsocial): “Today’s Historic Slaughter Decision by the Supreme Court is the Greatest Increase in Presidential Power in the last 100 years. Such a Monumental Ruling at such an important time! Donald J.Trump”
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 along ideological lines in Trump v. Slaughter, with the conservative majority holding that the president may remove the heads of independent executive branch agencies without cause (see iapp.org). The decision overturns Humphrey’s Executor, a unanimous 91-year-old precedent that had limited presidential removal power over leaders of roughly two dozen independent agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission.
The case arose after the Trump administration fired Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, who sued and won reinstatement from a U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia (see iapp.org). The administration appealed, and the Supreme Court reversed the lower courts, delivering a landmark victory for proponents of the unitary executive theory, which holds that Article II of the Constitution grants a president total control of the executive branch.
“The President must have the assistance of officers he can trust,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion. “Subordinates who exercise the President’s power are subject to removal by him. Then, and only then, can they remain accountable to the President, and the President to the people,” Roberts wrote (see iapp.org).
Slaughter pushed back in an interview, calling the decision a transfer of enormous authority from Congress to the White House. “I am shocked when the court overturns a unanimous, 91-year-old precedent that has been used to shape so much of our government institutions,” Slaughter said (see iapp.org). She added that the principles of checks and balances remain correct even after the ruling.
The Supreme Court also issued a separate 6-3 ruling on the same day in Chatrie v. United States, restricting law enforcement’s use of geofence warrants to obtain cellular location data (see iapp.org). Justice Elena Kagan wrote in that opinion that police invade a cell-phone user’s reasonable expectation of privacy when they access location history, regardless of the time period scrutinized.
Trump’s post framing the Slaughter decision as historic came as legal analysts assessed broad implications for federal governance. The ruling could reshape the balance of power across independent agencies that regulate sectors from consumer protection to telecommunications (see cbsnews.com).
In the last 30 days, 23 of 600 Trump posts on Truth Social addressed the topic of “Legal,” underscoring the president’s sustained focus on judicial matters during this period.
Source: Zenger real-time database of all Truth Social posts.
Note: Chart generated on June 29, 2026 at 1:46 PM EST
Source: Zenger analysis
Note: Table generated by NewsFindr on June 29, 2026 at 1:46 PM EST