Trump's Supreme Court Arrival Is a Presidential First

UPDATE Apr 1, 2026 9:04 AM CDT

President Trump will officially be the first sitting president to attend oral arguments at the nation's highest court. The AP reports crowds watched from the sidewalks as Trump's motorcade drove along Constitution and Independence Avenues, passing the Washington Monument and the National Mall on the way to the court building on Wednesday. NBC News reports he was accompanied by Attorney General Pam Bondi. Birthright citizenship is the first Trump immigration-related policy to reach the court for a final ruling. The New York Times reports the argument will commence just after 10am ET; it is scheduled for one hour but will likely last two.

Apr 1, 2026 1:30 AM CDT

President Trump plans to sit in on Wednesday's Supreme Court hearing on birthright citizenship, making him the first sitting president to attend oral arguments at the nation's highest court, the AP reports. The Republican president's official schedule, sent out by the White House, included a stop at the Supreme Court, where justices will hear Trump's appeal of a lower court ruling that struck down his executive order limiting birthright citizenship. The citizenship restrictions are a part of Trump's broader immigration crackdown, but they have not yet taken effect anywhere in the country after being blocked by several courts. A definitive ruling from the high court is expected by early summer.

The order, which Trump signed on the first day of his second term, declared that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens. It's an about-face from the long-standing view that the Constitution's 14th Amendment and federal law since 1940 confer citizenship to everyone born on American soil, with narrow exceptions. It's not the first time Trump has considered showing up for a high court hearing. Last year, Trump said that he badly wanted to attend a hearing on whether he overstepped federal law with his sweeping tariffs, but he decided against it, saying it would have been a distraction.

On Tuesday, however, Trump seemed more sure he'd be in court for Wednesday's hearing while he spoke with reporters in the Oval Office. "I'm going," Trump said, when the upcoming arguments in the birthright citizenship case were mentioned. To a follow-up question clarifying that he planned to go in person, Trump said, "I think so, I do believe." Other presidents have dealt directly with the court, but don't appear to have done so while in office. Richard Nixon argued a case between his time as vice president and president, and William Howard Taft served as chief justice after his presidency.