A judge does not have the authority to tell President Donald Trump that he cannot deport immigrants under the Alien Enemies Act, Vice President JD Vance stated in a Fox News interview Thursday.
It’s the president’s decision, he told Bret Baier on Special Report, laying the groundwork for a constitutional battle over American authority.
His statement came after Trump-appointed Texas District Judge Fernando Rodriguez ruled earlier Thursday that it was “unlawful” for the administration to detain and deport alleged Tren de Aragua members under an 18th-century wartime law.
“The president, not the judge, decides whether the Alien Enemies Act applies,” Vance told Baier after touring the Nucor Steel plant in Huger, South Carolina.
“If you tell the president that he cannot deport illegal criminals, you are saying he is unfit to be president. We reject that, as will the Supreme Court.”
The Trump administration is appealing a number of recent court decisions involving deportations.
Vance also discussed US military strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen, tariffs, the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and Mike Waltz’s removal from his position as national security adviser to become US ambassador to the United Nations.
“I think he’s a good guy,” Vance said. “He has my complete trust, and I know the president enjoys Mike Waltz. He simply believed that Mike Waltz would be better suited to the position of UN Ambassador.
For weeks, rumors circulated that Waltz was fired after inadvertently inviting The Atlantic’s top editor to a Signal group chat while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth discussed detailed strike plans against Houthi rebels.
Signal is not an authorized communication system for sensitive military conversations according to Pentagon protocol.
Vance, who was also present during the chat, denied in the interview that the Signal leak caused a schism between Trump and Waltz. He even boasted at one point that the leaked conversation “reflected well” on them because it showed them “deliberating.”
When asked about the economy, Vance claimed that the administration had inherited the current economic turmoil from President Joe Biden.
“This isn’t always going to be easy,” Vance admitted about the impact of Trump’s tariffs, adding that his boss wants to make this “the golden century for our country.”
The vice president declined to provide specifics about any potential trade deals.
“We’ve got negotiations with Japan, Korea, some folks in Europe, and obviously we’ve got a good negotiation going on in India,” Vance said, explaining that the administration is working to open India up to American technology and agricultural products.
During his plant tour, he announced a “industrial renaissance” of new jobs, which was warmly received by union workers and executives.
Baier referred to a photo of Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sitting close together at the Vatican during a discussion ahead of Pope Francis’ funeral Saturday.
Since then, the United States has reached an investment agreement with Ukraine for rare earth minerals, and Trump has expressed new concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin may not be as serious about peace as he claims.
“I think the question is to see whether we can actually find some middle ground here for these guys to bring this conflict to a close,” Vance told the audience.
“I am optimistic, but it is, ultimately, it’s hard to say confident, because the Russians and Ukrainians, they’re the ones who have to take the final step.”
