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The US President is not typically known for advice, especially from international figures who often attempt to praise and admire the American leader.

However, El Salvador's authoritarian leader Bukele has adopted a distinct approach by urging the White House to emulate his actions in removing what he terms “dishonest judges.”

The call for the president to move against the US judiciary also garnered backing from Trump allies, such as an social media message by one-time supporter Elon Musk, who has previously boosted Bukele's calls to oust US judges.

Unprecedented Risks to Judicial Independence

Experts say that Bukele's recent intervention occur of unmatched threats to court autonomy and individual judges in the United States, and during a phase where the president's team is employing similar strong-arm tactics used by leaders in countries such as Turkey, the European state, the Asian nation, and his native El Salvador to weaken democratic accountability.

Bukele's online call last week was just the latest in a string of taunts and claims he has made against the US's legal system, including a spring claim that the US was “facing a judicial coup,” and his mockery of a court's ruling to halt deportation flights sending suspected undocumented individuals to his nation's harsh prison system.

Attacks on Oregon Justice

Bukele's impeachment call was also issued during social media attacks on the state's justice Karin Immergut by presidential advisor Miller, attorney general Bondi, Elon Musk, and the president personally in a recent press gaggle.

The judge had ordered restraining orders preventing Trump from mobilizing the military reserves, initially in Oregon then in the West Coast state. Trump has been pushing to dispatch soldiers into the city, which the president has characterized as “war-ravaged” based on limited, non-violent demonstrations outside the city's homeland security facility.

Record of Attacking Judges

Miller, the former AG, and Musk have a long record of attacking judges who have blocked Trump's executive orders or otherwise hindered the administration's political agenda. Prior to returning to power recently, Trump directed his followers against judges presiding over his legal cases, who were then deluged with threats and harassment.

Watchdog organizations, law enforcement agencies, and judges themselves have pointed to a increased climate of threats and intimidation in the months since he re-entered the White House.

Rising Risk Data

According to data collected by the US Marshals Service, in 2025 through the end of September, there were over five hundred incidents to 395 federal judges, leading to 805 inquiries. 2025 has already surpassed 2022, and 2024, and is on track to top 2023's record of over six hundred reported incidents.

The threats are not just happening at the federal level. Data from Princeton's research project shows that there have been at least 59 cases of intimidation, harassment, stalking, or violence directed against judges on the state and municipal levels in 2025.

Analyst Analysis on Threat Sources

Specialists state that the threats are a product of the rhetoric coming from senior administration figures.

In May, the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) published a detailed report alleging that “malicious and reckless statements from Trump administration members and supporters align with rising violent posts on social media.” It noted “a 54% increase in demands for impeachment and violent threats against judges across digital networks from January to February of this year, the initial period of Trump’s administration.”

Beirich, the founder of the organization, said: “Trump’s threats against judges have definitely fueled online vitriol at judges and demands for ouster. Attacking the judiciary is one more step in the administration's advance towards authoritarianism.”

Global Authoritarian Playbook

This progression towards autocracy has been well-trodden in recent years in multiple countries, including by the Salvadoran.

In 2021, right after commencing a second term despite constitutional prohibitions, Bukele’s allies in congress voted to remove the nation's attorney general and five justices on the constitutional court. The justices, who had provoked his ire by ruling against pandemic policies, were replaced by new appointees hand picked by the leader.

The action mirrored the Hungarian leader's overhaul of Hungary’s court system several years back; the Turkish president's court cleanups recently; and attempts at comparable actions in the Middle Eastern state and Poland.

Undermining Court Autonomy

Experts say that the threats and verbal assaults in the US can be seen as efforts to weaken court autonomy in a system that provides no simple method for the executive to remove judges Trump opposes.

Leonard, an associate professor at Illinois State University who has studied authoritarian backsliding in democracies, said the Trump administration had learned from the examples set by strongmen overseas.

“The administration is looking around at these successes and failures. They know they’re not going to be able to pass any laws that would undermine the courts,” she said.

Pointing to examples such as Miller’s relentless assertions of broad presidential authority, she noted: “They openly attack the judiciary by stating over and over that it is not a equal branch in the government structure.

“They continue to redefine the discussion by repeating their argument that the president has more power than this judicial branch, which is not how checks and balances work.”

Leonard said: “Justices' sole safeguard is people’s belief in the authority of their capacity to make those decisions. Personal intimidation on top of weakening institutional legitimacy may make judges think twice about decisions that go against the current administration, which is, of course, highly concerning for judicial review and for democracy.”

Coercion Methods

Scheppele, professor of social science and international affairs at Princeton University, has written about the use of “authoritarian law” by the such as the Hungarian and Putin, and has warned about rising dangers to judges in the US.

She highlighted a wave of termed “harassment deliveries” this year, in which judges have received unsolicited pizza deliveries with the customer listed as a name, the son of Judge Esther Salas, who was murdered at the residence in several years ago by a assailant targeting the judge.

“All knows what it means. ‘We know where you live. We’re coming for you,’” the professor said.

“Federal judges are guarded by the presidential protection and the Marshals Service. And these are dedicated police units that are placed institutionally inside the Department of Justice. And the former AG has been spearheading the attacks on federal judges.”

Administration Aims

On the administration’s objectives, Scheppele said that “removing a federal judge is highly not going to happen because it’s so hard to do. {Right now|Currently