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Donald Trump does not usually take advice, particularly from international figures who often attempt to praise and admire the American leader.

But, El Salvador's authoritarian leader Nayib Bukele has followed a distinct strategy by urging the White House to emulate his actions in impeaching so-called “dishonest judges.”

His appeal for Trump to take action against the American court system also received backing from Maga figures, including an X post by one-time close Trump ally Elon Musk, who has in the past boosted the Salvadoran's demands to oust US judges.

Unprecedented Threats to Court Autonomy

Analysts note that Bukele's recent intervention come at a time of unprecedented threats to judicial independence and specific justices in the United States, and during a period where the president's team is using similar strong-arm tactics employed by leaders in countries such as Turkey, Hungary, the Asian nation, and his native the Central American country to undermine government oversight.

The president's social media call recently was one more in a string of taunts and allegations he has leveled against the American judiciary, including a March claim that the US was “experiencing a judicial coup,” and ridicule of a federal judge's order to stop removal operations transporting accused undocumented individuals to his country's brutal prison system.

Criticism on Oregon Justice

The Salvadoran's impeachment call was also issued amid online criticism on the state's justice Judge Immergut by presidential advisor Stephen Miller, former AG Bondi, Musk, and Trump himself in a recent media briefing.

The judge had issued restraining orders blocking Trump from mobilizing the national guard, initially in Oregon then in the West Coast state. The president has been pushing to dispatch soldiers into the city, which the president has characterized as “battle-scarred” based on limited, non-violent demonstrations outside the city's homeland security facility.

History of Targeting Judges

Miller, Bondi, and Musk have a history of attacking judges who have ruled against Trump's executive orders or otherwise hindered the administration's political agenda. Prior to returning to power this year, Trump directed his followers against judges presiding over his legal cases, who were then deluged with threats and abuse.

Watchdog organizations, law enforcement agencies, and the justices have highlighted a increased climate of risks and intimidation in the months since he re-entered the White House.

Increasing Risk Data

According to data collected by the federal agency, in the current year through the third quarter, there were 562 threats to 395 US justices, giving rise to 805 investigations. 2025 has already surpassed 2022, and last year, and is on track to top 2023's high of over six hundred threats.

The dangers are not only happening at the national level. Information by Princeton's Bridging Divides Initiative shows that there have been at least 59 cases of threats, harassment, stalking, or physical attacks directed against judges on the state and municipal levels in the current year.

Expert Insights on Root Causes

Experts say that the threats are a product of the rhetoric coming from senior administration figures.

In May, the watchdog group published a comprehensive report alleging that “malicious and highly irresponsible statements from Trump administration members and allies coincide with rising violent posts on social media.” It recorded “a fifty-four percent increase in demands for impeachment and violent threats against judges across social media platforms from the first two months of this year, the initial period of Trump’s administration.”

Heidi Beirich, the founder of the organization, said: “The president's threats against judges have definitely fueled online vitriol at judges and demands for ouster. Targeting the judiciary is one more step in the administration's march towards authoritarianism.”

Global Strongman Playbook

That march towards authoritarianism has been common in the past decade in several countries, including by the Salvadoran.

In 2021, immediately after commencing a new term in the face of constitutional prohibitions, the president's allies in congress voted to remove the nation's attorney general and several judges on the supreme court. The judges, who had provoked his ire by rejecting pandemic policies, made way for new appointees selected by Bukele.

The action mirrored the Hungarian leader's overhaul of the nation's judiciary several years back; the Turkish president's judicial purges recently; and efforts at similar moves in Israel and the European country.

Undermining Court Autonomy

Experts explain that the threats and rhetorical attacks in the US can be seen as efforts to weaken judicial independence in a structure that provides no simple method for the executive to remove judges the administration opposes.

Meghan Leonard, an associate professor at the university who has researched democratic decline in free nations, said the White House had taken cues from the examples set by strongmen overseas.

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

Citing examples such as Miller’s persistent assertions of nearly limitless executive power, she added: “They directly criticize the courts by repeating over and over that it is not a equal branch in the separation of powers.

“They continue to reframe the debate by emphasizing their argument that the executive has greater authority than this other co-equal branch, which is not how checks and balances work.”

The professor said: “Justices' sole safeguard is people’s belief in the legitimacy of their ability to make those decisions. Personal intimidation on top of weakening trust in courts may make judges think twice about judgments that go against the sitting government, which is, of course, highly concerning for court oversight and for the political system.”

Coercion Methods

Kim Lane Scheppele, academic of social science and global studies at Princeton University, has documented the use of “authoritarian law” by the likes of the Hungarian and the Russian, and has warned about escalating dangers to judges in the US.

She pointed to a wave of termed “pizza doxxings” this year, in which judges have received unwanted food orders with the recipient listed as Daniel Anderl, the son of Justice Salas, who was murdered at the judge’s home in 2020 by a assailant aiming at the judge.

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

“US justices are protected by the presidential protection and the Marshals Service. And those are both specialized law enforcement that are placed institutionally inside the federal agency. And Pam Bondi has been leading the criticism on justices.”

Government Goals

On the government's aims, Scheppele said that “impeaching a federal judge is highly not going to happen because it’s very difficult to do. {Right now|Currently