The White House published and subsequently scrambled to remove a sixty-minute video of President Donald Trump criticizing Supreme Court justices following their harsh examination of his birthright citizenship case—however, a journalist preserved the awkward recording before it disappeared.
The incriminating footage showed Trump privately entertaining MAGA pastors and religious supporters on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, during an Easter luncheon at the White House, where the 79-year-old president vented his genuine opinions about the justices who had questioned his administration earlier that day. The gathering was never intended for public viewing, and Trump obviously believed the cameras were off when he delivered multiple controversial statements during what should have been an event centered on the story of Jesus Christ.
Rather than focusing on Easter, Trump transformed the religious event into a complaint session about the Supreme Court justices who challenged his executive order seeking to eliminate birthright citizenship in the United States.
The president departed oral arguments at the court on Wednesday following his Solicitor General, D. John Sauer, presenting his case to the justices. Trump made history as the first sitting president to attend Supreme Court oral arguments, though he didn’t remain for the complete hearing—leaving approximately midway after multiple conservative justices voiced profound doubts about his administration’s legal position.
Business Insider reporter Bryan Metzger saved the footage online before the White House could scrub it from official pages, preserving Trump’s unfiltered complaints about the justices for the world to see. The White House scrambled to delete the recording once officials realized their mistake, but the damage was already done.
The president’s frustration originated from Wednesday’s Supreme Court hearing on his day-one executive order ending birthright citizenship. Chief Justice John Roberts, along with Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett—both Trump appointees—made a series of critical observations and posed probing questions that signaled they were troubled by the executive order. When Sauer argued “we’re in a new world now,” Roberts shot back, “Well, it’s a new world. It’s the same Constitution.”
Trump appeared at the Supreme Court with now fired Attorney General Pam Bondi and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick for the historic hearing. The president aims to eliminate birthright citizenship for infants born in the United States to parents who are in the country illegally or temporarily. However, the justices, including his own appointees, voiced significant constitutional objections about the far-reaching modification.
Following his departure from the court, Trump posted to Truth Social with a false claim about the policy. “We are the only Country in the World STUPID enough to allow ‘Birthright’ Citizenship!” the president posted. The statement is not true—32 other countries have birthright citizenship laws substantially similar to the United States, including Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina, according to a Pew Research Center analysis.
The Supreme Court will issue its ruling at the conclusion of the term in June or early July. The verdict will either impose a significant rejection of the Trump administration or signify a radical reinterpretation of the U.S. Constitution and the citizenship clause in the 14th Amendment, which states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
If the court decides in favor of Trump, notwithstanding the justices’ doubts, the ruling would carry profound consequences for immigrants and their families for generations to come.
Contributing to the bizarre quality of Wednesday’s hearing, actor Robert De Niro, 82, sat in the same crowded courtroom as President Trump and some of his closest advisors. The Oscar-winning actor and fierce Trump critic sat in seats reserved for the justices’ guests. When asked about the experience afterward, De Niro offered a cryptic response: “I’m not sure because I could hear, but not hear. It’s complicated. So, I can’t say.”
The disclosed Easter luncheon video constitutes yet another humiliating episode for the White House, which has had difficulty controlling the president’s spontaneous comments and overseeing his public perception. The recording exposed Trump’s personal grievances with the judicial branch during a period when his administration urgently requires the Supreme Court’s approval for one of his signature policy goals.
The White House has not explained why it posted and then deleted the footage, or whether anyone will face consequences for the error.
