April 10, 2025 • 8 mins
Sean Spicer talks with Mendte in the Morning about the power of District Court judges and a new House proposal that would limit their power.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Sean Spicer was President Trump's first press secretary. He's now
host of The Shawn Spicer Show. You could find him
on the iHeartRadio app and on YouTube. Sean Spicer, thanks
for being with us.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Good morning, Good morning, Ken. Good to be with you.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
Well, good to be with you too.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
You know, I always wonder does Sewn Spicer ever get
a little jealous of Caroline Lovitt because you paved the
way you and Sarah Huckaby Sanders got screamed at. You
kind of broke the mold of how to be a
press secretary for President Trump.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
You know, it's funny you used that word, Ken.
Speaker 4 (00:30):
I spoke to the President probably a couple of weeks ago,
and you know, as he does in his classic style,
he said, so, how do you think it's going? And
I said, sir, I got to admit I'm a bit jealous,
and he started laughing, and you know, I just because
look these guys. I'm funny you mentioned Sarah as well.
I had a conversation with her a couple of weeks back,
(00:50):
and I was relaying the same conversation to her and
she said, I know, she said, we had to be
the ones that broke the ice.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
And and you.
Speaker 4 (00:58):
Know, part of it was getting you know him, part
of it was getting to know how he wanted people
to interact, and we had no idea how hostile the
environment was going to be.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
You know it.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
I'm glad they're doing it. I think Caroline is doing
a phenomenal job. She really has for a woman of
her age, you know, because even the President has said it,
so I don't feel bad saying it. But she just
shows such a level of maturity and command a presence.
So it's it's great to see someone I think back
when I go twenty seven. The only thing, you know,
(01:29):
I'm not really well, let's not get into analogies, but
let's just say that I don't think I could have
come close to doing the job the way she is.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Well, all I can say is, if you or Sarah
had walked out with a binder and had to read
the answers to people like the previous Press secretary did,
you wouldn't have lasted a day. So it's it's you know,
it's just amazing the kind of a slack that she
was cut versus the what you had to endure when
you were there.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
But I want to know, well, it's a good it's
real quick.
Speaker 4 (01:57):
It's a great point. You're bringing up ten And the
funny thing is she came from them. Remember she was
an MSNBC right person, Coraine Jump here was Sake I
think had been at CNN if I'm not mistaken, I
mean so that these folks, or it might have been
rolloverse I.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Can't remember, but it doesn't matter.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
But the bottom line is they were of them, And
I think that does make a difference, is that they
felt like, oh, you're one of us, You've been with us,
you're our friend, our colleague. And that's a vastly different
place than where Sarah and I had both been just
political operatives.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
You know that they still viewed as the opposition.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Yeah, you just you were viewed.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
You were treated with such a lack of respect. There
was just no decorum like Ava La and the others
who would come into the press room and just treat
you all with such disdain. And it was really unnerving,
even as a viewer to watch that, and I just felt,
I don't care where one's political leaning was, to see
people treating representatives of the president with that kind of
(02:53):
disrespect was really unnerving. I wanted to ask you about
that the House just recently passed HR fifteen twenty six,
which will district court judges authority like Boseburg to issue
orders blocking presidential policies nationwide. Are you kind of surprised,
first off, that it's gotten to this point that you
didn't have a Chief Justice Roberts coming in and saying, hey,
(03:15):
everybody's stay in your lane.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
It's interesting because there's a non lawyer.
Speaker 4 (03:19):
I had Alan Derschwitz on my podcast a couple of
weeks back, and so I'm the you search it on YouTube,
It's easy to find. And I asked them the same
question because I thought, why are district judges in Rhode
Island or Oregon deciding something that goes for the nation.
I mean, because if you're a district judge, right, I mean,
it's sort of like, you know, the same reason that
ordinances in my city here of Alexandria, Virginia don't pertain
(03:41):
to New York City or you.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Know, Boston, Massachusetts.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
So I found it odd as a non lawyer to
understand that. And the answer I got back from from
like someone who's esteemed as Alan was yeah, it shouldn't
be so I think. And what he said to me,
was you know that it's going to take the House
to go in and be very clear about the scope
in the nature of what district courts can do. So
I'm glad it's happening because I agree this idea of
(04:06):
like judge shopping, and you see it now with a lot.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Of President Trump's executive orders.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Literally there's a court in California, Courton, Rhode Island that
are changing the course of federal law that affects, you know,
the country, the world. You could argue in terms of
some of these deportations. So I'm with you, like I
kind of just was shruggling, going I don't get it.
I just it didn't make sense. And I had the
same question you did. And I'm glad that at least
the House is taking action because it just doesn't on
(04:32):
its face, it doesn't make sense a district court should
decide for that jurisdiction.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
In fact, some would argue I had a guy named.
Speaker 4 (04:38):
Josh Hammeron, who's a brilliant attorney with the Article of
three project. He said, if you really want to interpret
the law correctly, you would argue that if you know,
I sue you and you sue me, at are dis
a court rules that that ruling pertains to the two
of us and doesn't bind others. Right, there's a reason
that and so you can actually take that much, you know,
(04:58):
lower down. So I actually, I think you're asking a
phenomenal question that is on the minds of a lot
of people these days, because you're trying to figure out
why am I why is his district judge, you know,
having an impact on everything that's not pertaining to where
they reside or you know.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
But I'm just I'm just kind of surprised that like
Chief Justice Roberts as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court,
these district judges work in essence for the Supreme Court.
They are to take off the lower cases off their
agenda so that they can concentrate on larger cases. But ultimately,
and before the circuit courts were established, everything went to
the Supreme Court, So Chief Justice Roberts is their boss
(05:39):
and can in essence say hey, you know what, knock
it off, This isn't the way to go. But I
just find it strange. It almost strikes me as he's
not exactly a pro Trump kind of guy, and he
likes to hang out with the Washington elite. I know
he's a great jurors a jurist, don't get me wrong,
But at the same time, it kind of strikes me
that that might.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Be the case.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Yeah, I don't know how much that said.
Speaker 4 (06:01):
I think what I hear a lot is that he
doesn't want to be seen like, you know, small py politics,
that he doesn't want to see himself as getting the
court intervening in legislative and policy matters. Although I would
argue that what we're talking about right now is directly
a court issue.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Talking about the scope of of jurisdiction.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
Is clearly and I actually think more to your point,
I would want him to say to these district court judges,
I think you should start making it clear that your
rulings only pertain to your jurisdiction, right, and to say, hey,
if you guys want so, like, if you get a
ruling in Rhode Island, it sticks to Rhode Island. If
you get one in the Eastern District of Virginia, it
(06:42):
applies to the Eastern District of Virginia.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Right, We'll stop.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
And that way that if the plaineiff wants to argue
that it should have a broader intent that they can't
just judge shop that they actually have to think through
the strategy a little bit more, because it really is
a big waste the way it is being handled.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
And clearly it is.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
We got Look, we got about thirty seconds left, so
I've heard to give you show a little time on this.
But Treasury Secretary bess And says that Trump didn't just
raise tariffs. He set a trap and China walked right
into it. Do you think there will be a resolution
with China?
Speaker 4 (07:14):
You know, I hope so, because this is not I mean,
I'm not kidding when I say this. Yesterday I went
out and I had gotten an email early in the
week that I was eligible for a new iPhone.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
I said, I might as well get it now, because
you never know.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
I literally would like, I'm not sure I have an
extra grand right now, but I might as well do this.
And and so, you know, I hope that this is
But here's my prediction. I believe that what will happen
is they will announce some kind of summit between Trump
and She in July. That's just I'm picking that, but
I think that's the sweet spot, and that they will
say we're gonna pause terrace until then.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Let's hope all right.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Sean Spice, or Trump's first press secretary, host of The
Shawn Spicer Show. Find him on the iHeartRadio app on YouTube.
Thank you so much for being on this morning you got.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
I will just say that you've done a nominal job
today like this is you.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
You've taken over the airways.
Speaker 4 (08:03):
I think New York has been changed because of your
presence today, and I would I'd be very worried if
I were the you know, Larry's going to be concerned
about coming back now, Laurie.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
Laurie has nothing to worry about.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
Trust mentally, is going to sign off on your ship
this morning, and it will.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Make it very clear. Good job, excellent all around.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Sean. My mother, my mother called you, I know she did.
Thank you. Thank you so much, my friend. I have
a good day.
Sean Spicer was President Trump's first press secretary. He's now
host of The Shawn Spicer Show. You could find him
on the iHeartRadio app and on YouTube. Sean Spicer, thanks
for being with us.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Good morning, Good morning, Ken. Good to be with you.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
Well, good to be with you too.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
You know, I always wonder does Sewn Spicer ever get
a little jealous of Caroline Lovitt because you paved the
way you and Sarah Huckaby Sanders got screamed at. You
kind of broke the mold of how to be a
press secretary for President Trump.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
You know, it's funny you used that word, Ken.
Speaker 4 (00:30):
I spoke to the President probably a couple of weeks ago,
and you know, as he does in his classic style,
he said, so, how do you think it's going? And
I said, sir, I got to admit I'm a bit jealous,
and he started laughing, and you know, I just because
look these guys. I'm funny you mentioned Sarah as well.
I had a conversation with her a couple of weeks back,
(00:50):
and I was relaying the same conversation to her and
she said, I know, she said, we had to be
the ones that broke the ice.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
And and you.
Speaker 4 (00:58):
Know, part of it was getting you know him, part
of it was getting to know how he wanted people
to interact, and we had no idea how hostile the
environment was going to be.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
You know it.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
I'm glad they're doing it. I think Caroline is doing
a phenomenal job. She really has for a woman of
her age, you know, because even the President has said it,
so I don't feel bad saying it. But she just
shows such a level of maturity and command a presence.
So it's it's great to see someone I think back
when I go twenty seven. The only thing, you know,
(01:29):
I'm not really well, let's not get into analogies, but
let's just say that I don't think I could have
come close to doing the job the way she is.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Well, all I can say is, if you or Sarah
had walked out with a binder and had to read
the answers to people like the previous Press secretary did,
you wouldn't have lasted a day. So it's it's you know,
it's just amazing the kind of a slack that she
was cut versus the what you had to endure when
you were there.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
But I want to know, well, it's a good it's
real quick.
Speaker 4 (01:57):
It's a great point. You're bringing up ten And the
funny thing is she came from them. Remember she was
an MSNBC right person, Coraine Jump here was Sake I
think had been at CNN if I'm not mistaken, I
mean so that these folks, or it might have been
rolloverse I.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Can't remember, but it doesn't matter.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
But the bottom line is they were of them, And
I think that does make a difference, is that they
felt like, oh, you're one of us, You've been with us,
you're our friend, our colleague. And that's a vastly different
place than where Sarah and I had both been just
political operatives.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
You know that they still viewed as the opposition.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Yeah, you just you were viewed.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
You were treated with such a lack of respect. There
was just no decorum like Ava La and the others
who would come into the press room and just treat
you all with such disdain. And it was really unnerving,
even as a viewer to watch that, and I just felt,
I don't care where one's political leaning was, to see
people treating representatives of the president with that kind of
(02:53):
disrespect was really unnerving. I wanted to ask you about
that the House just recently passed HR fifteen twenty six,
which will district court judges authority like Boseburg to issue
orders blocking presidential policies nationwide. Are you kind of surprised,
first off, that it's gotten to this point that you
didn't have a Chief Justice Roberts coming in and saying, hey,
(03:15):
everybody's stay in your lane.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
It's interesting because there's a non lawyer.
Speaker 4 (03:19):
I had Alan Derschwitz on my podcast a couple of
weeks back, and so I'm the you search it on YouTube,
It's easy to find. And I asked them the same
question because I thought, why are district judges in Rhode
Island or Oregon deciding something that goes for the nation.
I mean, because if you're a district judge, right, I mean,
it's sort of like, you know, the same reason that
ordinances in my city here of Alexandria, Virginia don't pertain
(03:41):
to New York City or you.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Know, Boston, Massachusetts.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
So I found it odd as a non lawyer to
understand that. And the answer I got back from from
like someone who's esteemed as Alan was yeah, it shouldn't
be so I think. And what he said to me,
was you know that it's going to take the House
to go in and be very clear about the scope
in the nature of what district courts can do. So
I'm glad it's happening because I agree this idea of
(04:06):
like judge shopping, and you see it now with a lot.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Of President Trump's executive orders.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Literally there's a court in California, Courton, Rhode Island that
are changing the course of federal law that affects, you know,
the country, the world. You could argue in terms of
some of these deportations. So I'm with you, like I
kind of just was shruggling, going I don't get it.
I just it didn't make sense. And I had the
same question you did. And I'm glad that at least
the House is taking action because it just doesn't on
(04:32):
its face, it doesn't make sense a district court should
decide for that jurisdiction.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
In fact, some would argue I had a guy named.
Speaker 4 (04:38):
Josh Hammeron, who's a brilliant attorney with the Article of
three project. He said, if you really want to interpret
the law correctly, you would argue that if you know,
I sue you and you sue me, at are dis
a court rules that that ruling pertains to the two
of us and doesn't bind others. Right, there's a reason
that and so you can actually take that much, you know,
(04:58):
lower down. So I actually, I think you're asking a
phenomenal question that is on the minds of a lot
of people these days, because you're trying to figure out
why am I why is his district judge, you know,
having an impact on everything that's not pertaining to where
they reside or you know.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
But I'm just I'm just kind of surprised that like
Chief Justice Roberts as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court,
these district judges work in essence for the Supreme Court.
They are to take off the lower cases off their
agenda so that they can concentrate on larger cases. But ultimately,
and before the circuit courts were established, everything went to
the Supreme Court, So Chief Justice Roberts is their boss
(05:39):
and can in essence say hey, you know what, knock
it off, This isn't the way to go. But I
just find it strange. It almost strikes me as he's
not exactly a pro Trump kind of guy, and he
likes to hang out with the Washington elite. I know
he's a great jurors a jurist, don't get me wrong,
But at the same time, it kind of strikes me
that that might.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Be the case.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Yeah, I don't know how much that said.
Speaker 4 (06:01):
I think what I hear a lot is that he
doesn't want to be seen like, you know, small py politics,
that he doesn't want to see himself as getting the
court intervening in legislative and policy matters. Although I would
argue that what we're talking about right now is directly
a court issue.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Talking about the scope of of jurisdiction.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
Is clearly and I actually think more to your point,
I would want him to say to these district court judges,
I think you should start making it clear that your
rulings only pertain to your jurisdiction, right, and to say, hey,
if you guys want so, like, if you get a
ruling in Rhode Island, it sticks to Rhode Island. If
you get one in the Eastern District of Virginia, it
(06:42):
applies to the Eastern District of Virginia.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Right, We'll stop.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
And that way that if the plaineiff wants to argue
that it should have a broader intent that they can't
just judge shop that they actually have to think through
the strategy a little bit more, because it really is
a big waste the way it is being handled.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
And clearly it is.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
We got Look, we got about thirty seconds left, so
I've heard to give you show a little time on this.
But Treasury Secretary bess And says that Trump didn't just
raise tariffs. He set a trap and China walked right
into it. Do you think there will be a resolution
with China?
Speaker 4 (07:14):
You know, I hope so, because this is not I mean,
I'm not kidding when I say this. Yesterday I went
out and I had gotten an email early in the
week that I was eligible for a new iPhone.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
I said, I might as well get it now, because
you never know.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
I literally would like, I'm not sure I have an
extra grand right now, but I might as well do this.
And and so, you know, I hope that this is
But here's my prediction. I believe that what will happen
is they will announce some kind of summit between Trump
and She in July. That's just I'm picking that, but
I think that's the sweet spot, and that they will
say we're gonna pause terrace until then.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Let's hope all right.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Sean Spice, or Trump's first press secretary, host of The
Shawn Spicer Show. Find him on the iHeartRadio app on YouTube.
Thank you so much for being on this morning you got.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
I will just say that you've done a nominal job
today like this is you.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
You've taken over the airways.
Speaker 4 (08:03):
I think New York has been changed because of your
presence today, and I would I'd be very worried if
I were the you know, Larry's going to be concerned
about coming back now, Laurie.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
Laurie has nothing to worry about.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
Trust mentally, is going to sign off on your ship
this morning, and it will.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Make it very clear. Good job, excellent all around.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Sean. My mother, my mother called you, I know she did.
Thank you. Thank you so much, my friend. I have
a good day.
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