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On Politics

Wed Apr 1 2026

Kathryn Palmer | Politics Reporter

@KathrynPlmr

Hello readers, and welcome back to On Politics. Kathryn Palmer here. The Supreme Court's heard arguments in a major birthright citizenship case today, replete with a surprise appearance by the commander-in-chief. Here's what's new.

Trump makes surprise appearance at Supreme Court hearing

In an unprecedented move, President Donald Trump visited the Supreme Court this morning for about an hour, arriving shortly before arguments began on the blockbuster birthright citizenship case. He is the first sitting president to attend an oral argument at the court. The Supreme Court is debating the president's attempt to sharply limit automatic citizenship for babies born in the United States, making it one of the biggest cases to land before the justices in years.

His appearance in court is attention-grabbing not only for its novelty, but also for his contentious relationship with some of the justices. Trump has blasted two justices he appointed, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, as "fools" and "an embarrassment" for ruling against him on tariffs. Trump has also tangled with Chief Justice John Roberts over the president's criticism of judges ruling against him.

President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi depart the White House, en route to the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on April 1, 2026.

Kevin Lamarque, REUTERS

A politics roundup:

•	Hegseth lifts suspensions of servicemembers who flew an Army helicopter to Kid Rock's mansion
•	Who is Shelly Kittleson, the award-winning American journalist kidnapped in Iraq?
•	Lindsey Graham explains why he was spotted at Disney World during partial shutdown
•	Why is there a giant golden toilet near the Lincoln Memorial?

Gallery: Protests outside Supreme Court as birthright fight reaches justices

Trump says US may leave NATO

Trump said in an interview with a British newspaper that he's strongly considering pulling the United States out of the NATO military alliance because it did not join the war on Iran. Trump told The Telegraph that the 32-member alliance that was founded in the aftermath of World War II to promote international cooperation and European security was a "paper tiger." It's not the first time the president has criticized the alliance or multinational organizations, or criticized European allies for not getting on board with the United States as it continues to wage a joint war with Israel on Iran.

Trump today also signaled the United States may soon end its part in the Iran war (as he has promised repeatedly since it began more than five weeks ago), yet sent conflicting messages on his strategy. The president is due to give a primetime address to the nation tonight.

Trump signs order exerting federal control on mail-in ballots

Trump moved to exert federal control over voter rolls and mail-in ballots yesterday with a new executive order, escalating his bid to place new restrictions on voting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Trump's order requires the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate with the Social Security Administration to create lists of voting-age U.S. citizens who are residents of each state and transmit them to state voting officials at least 60 days before an election. The U.S. Postal Service would then oversee mail-in ballots, only sending them to voters on that list. The action was swiftly condemned by Democrats and voting rights groups, who said it interferes with state election administration and makes it harder for people to vote. It's likely to be challenged in court.

Thanks for reading! Scroll down for more stories. You can reach me at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @ KathrynPlmr.