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Donald Trump rarely accepts advice, particularly from international figures who often attempt to flatter and admire the American leader.

But, the Central American nation's authoritarian leader Nayib Bukele has adopted a distinct approach by calling on the Trump administration to emulate his actions in removing so-called “corrupt judges.”

His appeal for Trump to move against the US judiciary also garnered backing from Trump allies, such as an social media message by one-time close Trump ally Elon Musk, who has in the past boosted the Salvadoran's calls to impeach US judges.

Unprecedented Threats to Judicial Independence

Experts say that the leader's recent remarks come at a time of unmatched threats to court autonomy and specific justices in the United States, and during a period where the Trump administration is employing comparable authoritarian tactics employed by leaders in nations such as Türkiye, Hungary, the Asian nation, and his native El Salvador to weaken democratic accountability.

The president's online call recently was just the latest in a long series of provocations and allegations he has made against the US's legal system, including a March claim that the US was “experiencing a judicial coup,” and his mockery of a federal judge's order to stop deportation flights sending suspected illegal immigrants to his nation's brutal prison system.

Attacks on Federal Judge

The Salvadoran's impeachment call was also issued amid online attacks on Oregon justice Judge Immergut by presidential advisor Miller, attorney general Bondi, Musk, and the president personally in a recent press gaggle.

The judge had ordered restraining orders preventing Trump from mobilizing the military reserves, first in the state then in California. The president has been eager to dispatch troops into Portland, which the leader has characterized as “battle-scarred” based on small, peaceful demonstrations outside the city's federal building.

Record of Attacking Justices

The advisor, Bondi, and the entrepreneur have a long record of criticizing judges who have blocked Trump's executive orders or otherwise impeded the administration's political agenda. Prior to returning to power recently, the president directed his supporters against judges presiding over his legal cases, who were then inundated with threats and abuse.

Watchdog organizations, police departments, and judges themselves have highlighted a heightened atmosphere of risks and coercion in the months since he returned to the White House.

Rising Risk Data

According to information gathered by the US Marshals Service, in the current year through the third quarter, there were 562 incidents to 395 federal judges, leading to 805 investigations. This year has already surpassed 2022, and last year, and is on track to top 2023's high of 630 reported incidents.

The dangers are not just happening at the national level. Data from Princeton's Bridging Divides Initiative indicates that there have been at least 59 instances of intimidation, targeting, stalking, or violence directed against judges on the local level in the current year.

Expert Analysis on Root Causes

Experts say that the threats are a product of the language coming from top government officials.

In spring, the watchdog group published a comprehensive report alleging that “harmful and reckless statements from White House allies and supporters align with escalating aggressive posts on social media.” It noted “a fifty-four percent rise in demands for removal and physical intimidation against judges across social media platforms from January to February 2025, the first full month of the president's term.”

Beirich, the founder of GPAHE, said: “Trump’s warnings against judges have certainly fueled digital abuse at judges and demands for ouster. Targeting the judiciary is one more step in Trump’s advance towards strongman rule.”

Global Authoritarian Playbook

This progression towards autocracy has been well-trodden in the past decade in multiple countries, such as by Bukele.

In 2021, right after commencing a new term despite legal bans, the president's allies in congress voted to remove the country’s top prosecutor and five judges on the supreme court. The judges, who had angered him by rejecting pandemic policies, made way for new appointees hand picked by the leader.

The action mirrored Viktor Orbán’s remodeling of the nation's judiciary in 2018; Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s judicial purges recently; and attempts at similar moves in Israel and the European country.

Weakening Judicial Independence

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

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

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

Pointing to examples such as the advisor's relentless claims of broad executive power, she noted: “They openly attack the judiciary by stating over and over that it is not a co-equal branch in the separation of powers.

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

Leonard said: “Justices' sole safeguard is public trust in the authority of their capacity to make those rulings. Personal intimidation on top of weakening institutional legitimacy may make judges think twice about decisions that go against the sitting government, which is, of course, highly concerning for court oversight and for democracy.”

Coercion Methods

Kim Lane Scheppele, academic of social science and international affairs at Princeton University, has documented the use of “authoritarian law” by the likes of the Hungarian and Putin, and has spoken out about rising dangers to judges in the US.

She pointed to a wave of so-called “harassment deliveries” this year, in which judges have received unsolicited food orders with the recipient listed as a name, the child of Judge Esther Salas, who was murdered at the residence in several years ago by a gunman targeting the judge.

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

“Federal judges are guarded by the Secret Service and the federal police. And these are specialized police units that are placed structurally inside the federal agency. And the former AG has been leading the criticism on justices.”

Government Goals

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