Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa rebuked President Donald Trump‘s remarks on “blue slips,” and said Wednesday that he’s “offended” by Trump’s attack on him and “disappointed” by the personal insults.
One day earlier, Trump urged Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley to abandon the “blue slip” tradition that allows senators to object to presidential judicial appointments.
In a Truth Social post, Trump complained that the process allowed blue state senators to block his conservative judge nominees.
Grassley: I was surprised to see President Trump go after me and Senate Republicans over what we call the blue slip… I was offended by what the President said, and I’m disappointed that it would result in personal insults pic.twitter.com/dtL8sMQPVC
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 30, 2025
Trump wrote, in part, “Chuck Grassley, who I got re-elected to the U.S. Senate when he was down, by a lot, in the Great State of Iowa, could solve the ‘Blue Slip’ problem we are having with respect to the appointment of Highly Qualified Judges and U.S. Attorneys, with a mere flick of the pen. Democrats like Schumer, Warner, Kaine, Booker, Schiff, and others, SLEAZEBAGS ALL, have an ironclad stoppage of Great Republican Candidates.”
He continued, “Senator Grassley must step up, like Crooked Joe Biden did, when he openly broke, at least two times, the ‘Blue Slip’ SCAM, and like others have done over the years, and let our Great Republican Judges and U.S. Attorneys BE CONFIRMED. He should do this, IMMEDIATELY, and not let the Democrats laugh at him and the Republican Party for being weak and ineffective. The Democrats have broken this ridiculous custom on us, it’s time that we break it on them. Chuck, I know you have the Courage to do this, DO IT!”
Grassley countered Wednesday, “I was surprised to see President Trump on Truth Social go after me and Senate Republicans over what we call the blue slip. Now, the people in the real America, not here in this Washington D.C. … The people in real America don’t care about what the blue slip is, but in fact, it impacts in their states the district judges who serve their communities.
“I was offended by what the President said and I’m disappointed that it would result in personal insults. Now we’re here to do business.”
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
Associated Press