Trump knocks ‘sleazebag journalists’ over reaction to thanking Roberts

President Trump knocked speculation about his comments to Chief Justice John Roberts, which were caught on camera after Tuesday night’s congressional address, and said he was just thanking the conservative jurist for swearing him into office in January.

“Thank you again. I won’t forget it,” Trump said, patting Roberts on the shoulder while exiting the House chamber after his speech that set a record at nearly 100 minutes.

The exchange was captured on video with clear audio and prompted speculation among Trump critics, particularly in light of Supreme Court rulings in Trump’s favor after he lost his 2020 bid for reelection.

The Supreme Court ruled last year that former presidents have a presumption of criminal immunity for official acts while in office — a solid win for Trump as he faced charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. The court decision, which Roberts penned, effectively shielded Trump from criminal charges and paved the way for him to return to the White House.

The Trump administration already faces several legal battles over sweeping moves he’s made since his inauguration in January, including mass firings of federal workers and cuts to federal spending on foreign aid.

Trump slammed “sleazebag journalists” in a Truth Social post Wednesday night for trying to “create a divide between me and our great U.S. Supreme Court.”

“They never called my office to ask, of course, but if they had I would have told these sleazebag ‘journalists’ that I thanked him for SWEARING ME IN ON INAUGURATION DAY, AND DOING A REALLY GOOD JOB IN SO DOING! The Fake News never quits!” Trump wrote.

Roberts, whom then-President George W. Bush picked to be chief justice after former Chief Justice William Rehnquist’s death in 2005, has been a swing vote on some of the court’s biggest decisions in recent years.