Congressman Jamie Raskin appeared on CNN and strongly criticized Donald Trump and his administration, accusing them of behaving like authoritarian leaders. He said the White House was trying to act above the law and take too much control, which goes against the way American democracy is supposed to work. While speaking with CNN guest host Erica Hill on the show *OutFront*, Raskin didn’t hold back. He slammed both Vice President JD Vance and Trump for trying to expand their executive powers in a way that, according to him, the American people never agreed to. “Nobody voted for that,” Raskin said firmly.
During the interview, Erica Hill brought up something JD Vance had said recently — that lower courts, like district courts, might overturn the will of the people through what he called “judicial overreach.” Vance also said that the Supreme Court should have more control over such decisions. But Raskin strongly disagreed. He said the courts are supposed to act as a check when any part of the government tries to go beyond the law. Then he threw a jab at Vance’s education, saying, “JD Vance’s Yale Law School education was completely wasted on him.” According to Raskin, it’s basic knowledge that courts exist to keep things constitutional, and most Americans already understand that.
Raskin also reminded viewers how Republicans had no problem running to the courts when Joe Biden was in office. He pointed out that back then, the same people who are now attacking the courts were filing lawsuits all the time to stop Biden’s actions — like his student loan forgiveness or climate policies. Raskin said it was hypocritical and that they quickly forgot how much they relied on the courts when it suited them.
He then warned that this current administration was unlike anything seen before. Raskin claimed that there have been more than 160 injunctions — legal orders to stop certain actions — against the Trump administration’s policies because of how often they’ve tried to bypass the rules. He said no other administration in U.S. history had faced this kind of legal pushback, which shows how extreme and lawless he believes Trump’s team has become. Raskin explained that trying to control everything isn’t conservative leadership — it’s authoritarianism, and that’s dangerous. “Nobody voted for that,” he repeated.
CNN also took aim at Trump in another segment led by anchor Erin Burnett. She exposed what she called a disturbing situation involving Trump and cryptocurrency. According to Burnett, Trump was hosting a private dinner for 220 of his biggest financial backers who had invested heavily in his personal crypto currency project. She revealed that many of these investors were not even from the U.S., and they paid large amounts of money just to have dinner with him. Burnett described the event as one of the most exclusive and expensive gatherings connected to a president.
She said it gave the appearance that Trump was selling access to himself as the President, which damages the country’s reputation. Burnett said it looked like Trump was using the presidency for personal financial gain. She added that the White House was now scrambling to control the narrative and convince the public that Trump wasn’t profiting from his position. But to her, the damage had already been done. The image of a “presidency for sale,” she said, is deeply troubling for America.
