doj tells judge he could bulldoze teh statue of liberty and theres nothing they can do

[moonshinegnomie]

If the govt decides very quickly to bulldoze the Statue of Liberty, the people whose ancestors — that was the first thing they saw coming to this country, but the govt moved too fast — nothing can be done?" she asked



The DOJ lawyer's response: "I think that's right, yes."




https://www.rawstory.com/trump-bulldoze-statue-of-liberty/

[PCIntern]

1. AAAAAAAAUUUUUGGGHHHHHH!

[Raven123]

2. Where did this exchange take place?

[moonshinegnomie]

3. federal appeals court in dc

[Submariner]

4. The Pedo's gravesite is probably going to be an International destination to

relieve one's bladder fully and completely like it was never drained before.

The gravesite will likely have to be on a hill, and engineered to have proper drainage to protect down gradient estuaries, fisheries, and wetlands that recharge groundwater drinking supplies.

[Jerry2144]

9. Add in some some turbines to generate electricity

From all the flow

[ToxMarz]

10. In the winter we can "write" our name in the snow

or just leave yellow comments.

[ColoringFool]

30. To Quote Tonto: "Who Is This 'We,' White Man?" 😉

[MyOwnPeace]

14. NAH!

tRump's EPA won't give a flying rat's ass about any of that stuff!

[Jimi du Ranty]

19. They will need an industrial site to deal with all the pee

The urea could be processed into ammonia and used to power ships...

[Mr. Evil]

42. It'll become synonymous with kissing the Blarney Stone.

The gift of eloquence and good luck for all those who piss on that grave.

[sop]

5. So the next Democratic president could have the EPA designate Mar-a-Lago a toxic waste hazard, bulldoze

it to rubble, haul it all away, then declare the property a contaminated Superfund site so nothing could be built there for the next hundred years?

[MyOwnPeace]

16. Oh, I LIKE the way you think!

Hitting him where it hurts (even if he doesn't know it!)!

[Captain Zero]

28. Confiscate Trump Tower & make it an IRS office

Solely to investigate white collar tax fraud, and federal sex trafficking crimes.

[MyOwnPeace]

35. Oooooooooo! That's good too!

His own property with IRS on the front - what a brilliant idea!!!!!!

[Hey Joe]

29. Mierde Lardo is already a toxic sewer of human

filth, greed and avarice against the people of the world who are not billionaires.
So there’s that.

[Justice matters.]

34. But he/she will not do that.

Democratic Presidents have a functioning brain.

[dalton99a]

45. +1

[BlueTsunami2018]

6. He's not wrong.

These people can do just about anything they want without consequence.

If they did decide to knock down the Statue of Liberty, who would stop it from happening?

[PittBlue]

7. Obviously, no one.

He is destroying everything with absolutely no consequences.

[Cha]

53. So Far!

[ornotna]

12. I think the city

And state of New York and the people there would have something to say.

And I’m sure they would mobilize rather quickly.

[LT Barclay]

22. We watched Sully recently and I'd agree that they should not be underestimated

[BlueTsunami2018]

50. Obviously, it was a hypothetical.

But supposing it wasn’t, do you think there would be a flotilla to blockade it from happening? Do you think workers would refuse to do it?

I don’t think there would be any way to stop it.

In the grand scheme of things, the policies being presented and passed are far worse than taking down a statue and no one is doing a fucking thing about it. There’s no popular uprising, there aren’t any strikes, there’s nothing. We’re just letting it happen and shaking our fists, believing that somehow elections are going to save us.

Direct action is needed and there’s no one to do it.

[ornotna]

52. You seem to have an answer

For this obviously hypothetical question.

“We have met the enemy and he is us”

[BlueTsunami2018]

56. That's fair.

I’m so angry with the loss of spirit in this country. When fascists say “we need to be tough like in the old days” they mean being openly racist and otherwise bigoted and using that power to prop yourself up. It’s a selfish ideology, they’re talking about bullying people. It’s a great trick the ruling class has pulled, getting the workers to fight among themselves over things as simple as basic human rights while they snigger and pick all of our pockets:

When we on the left say “we need to be tough like in the old days” we mean being willing to fight and die for workers’ rights, for more fair treatment from the owners, for equal treatment under the law. There are far too few John Browns in our history and far too many Jefferson Davis types. Far too few John Lewis types and far too many John Towers.

I just worry, actually I’m sure, that conditions will have to be so bad that there is no choice but to revolt on a grand scale. My inner accelerationist is telling me we should be doing this now while there’s still food to be had. People are simply too comfortable to really do what needs to be done even though we can see what’s happening right in front of us. The workers have lost their spirit. We’ve been bought off and conditioned to look down on people with contempt instead of looking up where that contempt really belongs.

It’s all so obvious and yet so missed.

[twodogsbarking]

8. I think pitchforks is something that can be done. I have two, a three prong and a ten prong silage fork.

[dave99]

17. More like automatic weapons

This IS New York City

[popsdenver]

32. Believe me, that is EXACTLY, Precisely what they want

and have prepared for it...........it would give them the provocation to enact the Insurrection Act, over ride the Posse Commatatus Act, instantly install Martial Law across the entire nation....in addition to starting a civil war, and basically causing anarchy in the U.S.

Think about this.........Why do you think that they have established a fortress of armed Protection in Washington D.C......with the National Guard, ATF, FBI, Secret Service, ICE, Border Patrol.....all patrolling the streets of DC??????? They saw what a crowd of 5,000 MAGAots did on J6th, and worry about an even bigger crowd of us, swarming over the Capitol, Supreme Court, and White House...

Also, think about this: for their "Coup De Gras" (sp?), they could crash the stock/investment market and instantaneously crash the entire U.S. Economy, RETIREMENT FUNDS, Social Security, SSI Disability Funds, Medicare and Medicaid, and turn the majority of citizens into Serfs and Peasants......There are oligarchs, etc that are already leaving investments and buying any and all Real Estate and land they can.......Look no further than Denver........Countless ABANDONED corporate buildings and skyscrapers in Down Town Denver, and the Tech Center, but there is a massive build out of residential apartments and residential sky scrapers......everywhere......

The only reason "they" aren't converting the abandoned commercial/corporate buildings into residences, is that it is cost prohibitive to convert them into apartments.......far cheaper to buy and scrape small buildings and start from scratch....

Their intent is to establish a second GILDED AGE, complete with a new set of ROBBER BARRONS............
Read or Re-Read Steinbeck's pulitzer prize winning; GRAPES OF WRATH about the struggle of citizens of the U.S. during the Great Depression........
While the U.S. citizens were struggling, day to day, just to find food for the day, and living in massive Hoovervilles,
much like todays homeless encampments, the Corporations were drowning in profits........

Every day, I watch Trump and these "new" Republicans, to see if they have renamed the United States of America....to the
United Corporations of America........

[MustLoveBeagles]

11. Absolutely loony toons

[Raven123]

13. So basically we need to guard these treasures personally 24x7

[struggle4progress]

15. ...

[Ponietz]

18. Courts of equity have broad powers like injunction, specific performance, and restitution since the XIIIth Century!

[ChicagoTeamster]

20. The SCUSPD officer assigned to the courtroom should have immediately smacked that attorney upside the head and dragged

him or her off to the dungeon

[ancianita]

21. Both DOJ lawyer & the DOJ are WRONG. The Statue of Liberty was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, and

is recognized globally as a "masterpiece of the human spirit" and a universal symbol of freedom, democracy, and human rights.

[TheRickles]

23. Maybe so, but does the US still recognize UNESCO as a legitimate organization?

A serious question, sadly enough.

[ancianita]

25. Excellent question when it comes to this administration.

Yes, the US recognizes UNESCO as a legitimate entity, though the relationship has been politically turbulent.

The US is a founding member of UNESCO, and formally rejoined as the 194th member state in July 2023. However, the US has withdrawn from the organization twice, most recently in 2025.

It's true that United States first withdrew from UNESCO on December 31, 1984.
The withdrawal was announced a year earlier by the Reagan administration in December 1983, citing concerns over the organization's perceived politicization, poor management, and anti-Western biases.

The U.S. rejoined the organization nearly two decades later in October 2003.

The fact that the US was a founding member for 39 years stands as proof of US commitment to UNESCO's international standing. Americans would go apoplectic if this administration made even one move to remove it, nevermind New York, which was the first capital of the United States.

This bogus threat-drama simply makes this administration look unworthy as international leaders.

[Justice matters.]

36. The felon's criminal clownish administration doesn't care about any "foreign"

institution.

[ancianita]

49. No doubt. But he's also dealing with New York, not just UNESCO. His henchmen won't be allowed anywhere near

that designated National Monument on Liberty Island. New Yorkers will surround the place. The Empire State don't play.

[Cha]

54. That's the Spirit & Attitude

I love. ☮️💙🌻🕯️🕊️fistbump:

[FakeNoose]

24. So how do they get bulldozers onto Liberty Island in the middle of New York Harbor?

(photo credits from Wikipedia)

[Justice matters.]

37. Nice pics! Memories of me visiting there up in the lantern.

[dpibel]

55. I believe there are these things called "ships"

Some of them are quite large, and capable of carrying big pieces of cargo, e.g., bulldozers.

[Jacson6]

26. I'm your huckleberry. Pick me!

[kimbutgar]

27. His name in history will be synonomous with evil, selfish, hateful, greed and destroyer of America's reputation and

responsible for millions of people dying from diseases that were eradicated but he instead was ok with committing genocide and returning concentration camps that a lot of people died in!

[EarthAbides]

31. And if you really think the midterm elections will save us...

I have a Statue of Liberty to sell you! Every state a democrat wins, Senate or House, will be declared rigged. Johnson won't swear in any democrats. Neither will Thune. Landslides will not matter. If it is a blue state, it will not matter. The whole world hates the fascist pig, but he is still in power. Wake up....

[twodogsbarking]

33. Trump would erect a statue of himself in its place.

[MyOwnPeace]

38. You got THAT right............

'Wagon Wheel' (I heard the joke a different way!).

[orleans]

39. i googled could trump administration destroy the statue of liberty:

Legally and logistically, the Trump administration cannot unilaterally destroy or demolish the Statue of Liberty, as doing so would violate federal laws like the National Historic Preservation Act and require explicit legislative approval from Congress. (link #1)

However, this question stems from a literal, hypothetical exchange in a June 2026 federal appeals court hearing regarding the limits of executive power.

The June 2026 Court Argument

During a hearing before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals concerning a lawsuit over the construction of a new White House ballroom, Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers argued that the courts lack the authority to halt executive construction or demolition projects.

The Judge's Question: Judge Patricia Millett asked the DOJ what would happen if the administration decided to "very quickly bulldoze the Statue of Liberty" before anyone could stop it.

The DOJ's Response: The government attorney responded, "I think that's right, yes," implying that under their legal theory of executive speed, the courts would have no power to undo or stop the action after the fact.

The Legal Framework
While the administration's legal argument pushes for absolute executive immunity from court-ordered halts on federal property, actual demolition remains illegal under federal protections: (link #2)

National Park Service Management:
The Statue of Liberty National Monument (link #3) is federal property managed by the National Park Service.

Statutory Protections:
Demolishing a national monument requires rigorous environmental reviews, public consultation, and compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act.

The Role of Congress:
The DOJ explicitly noted in the same arguments that stopping such overreach or modifying such structures ultimately rests under the constitutional authority of Congress, not individual executive mandates.

Ultimately, the administration has expressed no real-world intention to destroy the monument. The scenario remains a purely theoretical legal example used by judges to test the outer boundaries of presidential power over federal property.

link #1
https://newrepublic.com/post/211422/department-justice-donald-trump-right-bulldoze-statue-liberty

link #2
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/05/white-house-ballroom-donald-trump-00951892

link #3
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/307/

[FakeNoose]

40. The White House is also federal property, and including the East Wing and the Rose Garden

[orleans]

44. the last line from the new republic:

"All of this further illustrates just how powerful the Trump administration believes itself to be: Its modus operandi is simply to break our nation’s laws with such speed that no one can stop it."

https://newrepublic.com/post/211422/department-justice-donald-trump-right-bulldoze-statue-liberty

[mzmolly]

41. They already have,

metaphorically speaking.

[Mr. Evil]

43. While that person is bulldozing the Statue of Liberty...

They will be identified, completely doxxed and their house will be burned to the ground. And that will only be the beginning.

[Tanuki]

46. I've seen this movie before.... 🦧🗽🦍

[dickthegrouch]

47. The courts have to set limits on what they consider "official acts".

If he only has immunity for official acts: what constitutes an official act?
Make him personally liable for anything that doesn't match the definition precisely.
Personal liablity consequences are not to extend beyond the timeframe in which the original damage was done, without incurring additional penalties and jail time. I.e. If it took one day to destroy the east wing, damages payable in 24 hours after the court says "Not an official act". Damages MUST include restoration at his expense too.
This principle should be applicable to anything he damages in one way or another. Restitution due from personal funds immediately.

See my previous attempt at codification of official acts here: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219319695

I think the Constitution (remember that?) has a list of acts the President is allowed to perform. Let's use that as our best basis for improvement. There's certain to be a raft of those coming in some administration very soon.

[kentuck]

48. And what would happen if he did ??

Would someone send a strongly worded letter?

[The Wizard]

51. Totalitarian