Former US President Donald Trump has unleashed a fierce verbal assault on former Attorney General Eric Holder, reacting with fury to Holder's suggestions for reforming the Supreme Court. Trump claimed the Democrat has a plan to 'pack' the nation's highest court with what he termed 21 'radical left activist judges.'
Trump's Truth Social Tirade and the 'Fast and Furious' Jab
The outburst occurred on Trump's Truth Social platform on Monday night. He was responding to an edited clip from an interview Holder gave to the liberal YouTube outlet MeidasTouch, recorded on November 3. In the clip, Holder discussed the potential for Democrats to pursue court reform if they regain power in the future.
Trump's post was characteristically combative, labelling Holder an 'Obama sycophant' and referencing the 'Fast and Furious' scandal—a botched ATF gun-tracking operation from Holder's tenure. 'He just gave a Speech where he emphatically stated, above all else, that Democrats will PACK the Supreme Court of the United States if they get the chance,' Trump wrote.
He further asserted, 'The word is, he wants 21 Radical Left Activist Judges, not being satisfied with the heretofore 15 that they were seeking.' It is important to note that in the actual interview, Holder made no mention of a specific number like 21 judges.
Holder's Actual Proposal and the Push for Filibuster Termination
In his MeidasTouch appearance, Holder argued that the Supreme Court is a 'broken institution' and called for its reform to be part of the national conversation leading into the 2026 and 2028 elections. He suggested that if Democrats achieve a trifecta—controlling the presidency and both houses of Congress—in 2028, they should consider measures including expanding the court and imposing term limits.
'Our institutions have failed us... I think the Supreme Court has failed us,' Holder stated, advocating for 'substantive reforms.' The US Constitution does not specify the number of Supreme Court justices; the current bench of nine was set in 1869. Some Democrats proposed expanding it to 13 in 2021.
Trump used Holder's comments as a springboard to reiterate his longstanding demand for the Republican Party to eliminate the Senate filibuster. This rule requires 60 votes to pass most legislation, rather than a simple majority. Trump branded it the 'Nuclear Option' and warned of dire electoral consequences if it remains.
'It will be 21, they will destroy our Constitution, and there’s not a thing that the Republicans can do about it unless we TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER,' he claimed, arguing it would lead to Republican midterm and 2028 presidential victories.
The High-Stakes Political Battle Over Senate Rules
Trump's vision is that without the filibuster, a Republican-controlled Senate could pass a sweeping conservative agenda, including election reforms and laws restricting transgender sports participation. He warned that failure to act would allow Democrats to potentially add Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. as states, permanently altering the political landscape.
However, veteran senators from both parties have historically been wary of scrapping the filibuster, knowing the lower voting threshold could be used against them when they eventually lose power. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has faced direct public pressure from Trump on the issue multiple times throughout November.
The debate underscores a profound conflict over the future of American governance. On one side are figures like Holder, who see institutional reform as necessary to rectify a conservative-dominated court. On the other is Trump, who views the filibuster as the primary obstacle to realising his policy ambitions and preventing Democratic reforms he considers radical.
With the next presidential election in 2028 already being framed as a potential turning point for the Supreme Court's very structure, this clash over judicial power and Senate procedure is set to define American politics for years to come.
