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Donald Trump does not usually take advice, particularly from foreign leaders who frequently seek to praise and compliment the American leader.

However, the Central American nation's authoritarian leader Nayib Bukele has adopted a different strategy by urging the White House to emulate his actions in removing what he terms “corrupt judges.”

The call for Trump to take action against the US judiciary also garnered backing from Maga figures, such as an social media message by one-time supporter Elon Musk, who has in the past amplified Bukele's calls to impeach US judges.

Unprecedented Threats to Court Autonomy

Analysts say that the leader's recent intervention come at a time of unprecedented threats to court autonomy and individual judges in the US, and during a phase where the Trump administration is employing similar strong-arm tactics employed by rulers in countries such as Turkey, the European state, India, and his native El Salvador to weaken democratic accountability.

Bukele's online call recently was one more in a long series of taunts and claims he has made against the American judiciary, such as a March claim that the US was “facing a court takeover,” and his mockery of a federal judge's ruling to stop removal operations sending suspected undocumented individuals to his nation's harsh prison system.

Attacks on Federal Judge

The Salvadoran's demand for removal was also issued amid social media criticism on Oregon federal judge Judge Immergut by presidential advisor Stephen Miller, attorney general Pam Bondi, Musk, and the president himself in a latest press gaggle.

Immergut had ordered injunctions preventing Trump from mobilizing the military reserves, initially in Oregon then in the West Coast state. The president has been eager to send soldiers into Portland, which the president has characterized as “battle-scarred” based on limited, non-violent demonstrations outside the city's federal building.

History of Targeting Justices

The advisor, Bondi, and the entrepreneur have a long record of attacking judges who have blocked presidential directives or in other ways hindered the government's political agenda. Prior to returning to power this year, Trump directed his followers against judges presiding over his legal cases, who were then deluged with intimidation and abuse.

Watchdog organizations, law enforcement agencies, and judges themselves have highlighted a increased atmosphere of risks and intimidation in the period since he re-entered the presidency.

Increasing Threat Statistics

According to data collected by the US Marshals Service, in the current year through the end of September, there were 562 threats to nearly four hundred US justices, giving rise to 805 inquiries. This year has already surpassed 2022, and 2024, and is on track to exceed the previous year's high of 630 threats.

The dangers are not only happening at the federal level. Information by the university's Bridging Divides Initiative indicates that there have been at least 59 instances of intimidation, targeting, stalking, or violence directed against judges on the state and municipal levels in 2025.

Analyst Analysis on Root Causes

Specialists state that the threats are a product of the rhetoric coming from senior administration figures.

In May, the watchdog group published a comprehensive report alleging that “harmful and reckless statements from White House allies and allies align with escalating violent posts on online platforms.” It recorded “a 54% rise in calls for removal and violent threats against judges across digital networks from January to February 2025, the initial period of Trump’s administration.”

Beirich, the co-founder of GPAHE, said: “Trump’s warnings against judges have definitely fueled online vitriol at judges and calls for impeachment. Targeting the judiciary is one more step in Trump’s advance towards strongman rule.”

International Strongman Playbook

That march towards authoritarianism has been well-trodden in the past decade in multiple nations, such as by the Salvadoran.

In several years ago, right after commencing a second term despite legal bans, the president's allies in congress voted to remove the country’s top prosecutor and five judges on the constitutional court. The justices, who had angered him by rejecting coronavirus measures, were replaced by new appointees hand picked by Bukele.

The action mirrored the Hungarian leader's remodeling of the nation's judiciary several years back; the Turkish president's court cleanups recently; and attempts at comparable actions in the Middle Eastern state and the European country.

Undermining Court Autonomy

Analysts say that the threats and verbal assaults in the US can be viewed as efforts to undermine court autonomy in a system that provides no simple method for the executive to remove judges Trump opposes.

Leonard, an academic at the university who has researched authoritarian backsliding in free nations, said the White House had taken cues from the examples set by authoritarians abroad.

“The government is looking around at these achievements and failures. They know they’re not going to be able to enact any legislation that would weaken the judiciary,” she said.

Pointing to instances such as Miller’s persistent claims of broad executive power, she added: “They openly criticize the judiciary by stating over and over that it is not a equal branch in the separation of powers.

“They continue to redefine the debate by repeating their claim that the executive has more power than this judicial branch, which is not how checks and balances work.”

Leonard said: “Justices' only protection is public trust in the legitimacy of their capacity to make those rulings. Personal intimidation on top of weakening trust in courts may make judges think twice about judgments that go against the sitting government, which is, of course, highly concerning for court oversight and for the political system.”

Coercion Methods

Scheppele, professor of sociology and global studies at Princeton University, has documented the use of “autocratic legalism” by the likes of the Hungarian and the Russian, and has spoken out about rising dangers to judges in the US.

She highlighted a series of so-called “harassment deliveries” this year, in which judges have received unsolicited food orders with the recipient listed as a name, the son of Judge Esther Salas, who was murdered at the judge’s home in several years ago by a gunman targeting Salas.

“All understands what it means. ‘Your address is known. We’re coming for you,’” Scheppele said.

“Federal judges are guarded by the Secret Service and the Marshals Service. And these are specialized police units that are placed institutionally inside the federal agency. And the former AG has been spearheading the attacks on justices.”

Administration Aims

Regarding the administration’s objectives, the expert said that “removing a US justice is almost certainly not going to happen because it’s so hard to do. {Right now|Currently