A reporter managed to preserve footage of President Trump’s private Easter luncheon rant about Supreme Court justices before the White House could successfully erase it from the internet, creating a fresh headache for an administration already reeling from a difficult day at the nation’s highest court.
Business Insider reporter Bryan Metzger downloaded the video after the White House posted it online, then watched as officials frantically tried to scrub the recording from official pages once they realized their mistake. The footage is now preserved despite the administration’s best efforts to make it disappear.
The recording runs for an hour and captures Trump hosting MAGA pastors and religious allies at the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. What was billed as an Easter luncheon focused on the story of Jesus Christ instead became a forum for the 79-year-old president to vent about Supreme Court justices who had questioned his birthright citizenship executive order just hours before.
Trump clearly believed he was speaking off camera when he unleashed his complaints. The event was never intended for public consumption, but the White House inexplicably posted the damning video anyway before realizing the error.
His frustration traced directly back to Wednesday morning’s oral arguments, where Trump made history as the first sitting president to attend Supreme Court proceedings. He brought now fired Attorney General Pam Bondi and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick with him for the hearing on his day-one executive order that seeks to end birthright citizenship for babies born in the United States to parents who are in the country illegally or temporarily.
The appearance didn’t go as planned. Trump departed the courtroom about halfway through after watching several conservative justices express deep skepticism of his administration’s position. His Solicitor General, D. John Sauer, continued making the case before the justices after the president left.
Chief Justice John Roberts delivered one particularly sharp exchange. When Sauer argued “we’re in a new world now,” Roberts countered, “Well, it’s a new world. It’s the same Constitution.” Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett—both appointed by Trump himself—also made critical observations and posed probing questions that signaled constitutional concerns about the sweeping policy change.
The 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” A decision in Trump’s favor would represent a dramatic reimagining of this constitutional provision, while a ruling against him would deliver a strong rebuke of the administration.
After departing the court, Trump posted a false statement on Truth Social. “We are the only Country in the World STUPID enough to allow ‘Birthright’ Citizenship!” he wrote. That claim is incorrect—a Pew Research Center analysis shows 32 other countries have birthright citizenship laws substantially similar to the United States, including Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina.
The justices will release their opinion at the end of the term in June or early July. Should they rule for Trump despite their apparent skepticism, the decision would have dramatic implications for immigrants and their families for generations to come.
Wednesday’s hearing featured an unexpected attendee beyond the president and his advisors. Actor Robert De Niro, 82, occupied a seat reserved for the justices’ guests in the crowded courtroom. The Oscar-winning actor and fierce Trump critic offered a cryptic assessment of the experience afterward: “I’m not sure because I could hear, but not hear. It’s complicated. So, I can’t say.”
The leaked video reveals the president’s unfiltered frustrations with the judicial branch at a moment when his administration desperately needs the Supreme Court’s support for one of his signature policy goals. Officials have not explained why the footage was posted in the first place, how the error occurred, or whether anyone will face consequences.
