Trump Blasts Blue Slip Tradition, Urges Grassley to Act
- Trump says longstanding Senate custom is blocking his U.S. attorney picks.
- He calls out Chuck Grassley for honoring blue slips and letting Democrats stall nominees.
- Grassley insists he’s protecting home-state input and setting up nominees for success.
- Republicans argue the tradition is being weaponized against conservative picks.
President Donald Trump has publicly criticized Senate Judiciary Committee chair Chuck Grassley, saying several U.S. attorney nominees remain blocked because Grassley is sticking with the blue slip rule. The debate centers on whether a century-old Senate courtesy should let a single home-state senator stall a nominee indefinitely. For Republicans, this feels like a procedural chokehold used to keep conservatives off the bench and out of federal prosecutor roles.
The blue slip custom gives home-state senators a powerful say and, in practice, a veto over nominees from their state. Democrats have used the tradition to frustrate Republican appointments in closely split states, and Trump frames it as partisan obstruction rather than principled review. The argument now is whether Grassley should abandon or reform the practice to let vetted conservative nominees advance.
“I have eight GREAT U.S. Attorneys, Highly Respected ALL, who will not be confirmed for their positions in various Highly Consequential States only because they’re Republicans, and the Democrats have convinced Chuck Grassley to honor the stupid and outdated ‘Blue Slip’ tradition, which precludes very talented and dedicated people from attaining High Office,” the president asserted in part of a Truth Social post on Thursday night.
Trump followed up in another post, arguing the rule effectively hands a single Democratic senator veto power in states where Republicans win the White House. “A ‘Blue Slip’ means that if you’re a Republican President, and there happens to be just one Democrat Senator in a state where you are appointing a U.S. Attorney or District Court Judge, you will never be successful in getting a Republican confirmed. In other words, ‘Blue Slips’ are a disaster, and I have eight GREAT Republican U.S. Attorney Candidates who will not be able to fulfill their service to the people of a state that voted overwhelmingly for me.”
Trump has kept up pressure, telling Grassley to stand up to Democrats and let conservatives serve. “Chuck Grassley should allow strong Republican candidates to ascend to these very vital and powerful roles, and tell the Democrats, as they often tell us, to go to HELL!” Trump asserted in part of an August Truth Social post.
A Grassley spokesperson pointed to an August post from the senator addressing the blue slip argument when asked for comment. The senator framed his approach as practical and protective of nominees’ chances, not obstructionist, and he emphasized the importance of home-state input in confirmations. Grassley made his stance clear in the messaging he shared online.
“A U.S. Atty/district judge nominee without a blue slip does not hv the votes to get confirmed on the Senate floor & they don’t hv the votes to get out of cmte As chairman I set Pres Trump noms up for SUCCESS NOT FAILURE,” the senator asserted in the .
Grassley also reminded followers that the blue slip is a long-standing Senate practice and tied past Democratic actions to today’s debate. “The 100 yr old ‘blue slip’ allows home state senators 2 hv input on US attys & district court judges,” he added, while noting, “In Biden admin Republicans kept 30 LIBERALS OFF BENCH THAT PRES TRUMP CAN NOW FILL W CONSERVATIVES,” in another post the same day where Grassley .
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