It’s low key in the sense that Trump seems to have been prepared to disobey the order, but it never took effect. The order was “pay people what you owe them by Wednesday at 11:59pm,” and the Trump admin got an order from the Supreme Court pausing that requirement until further notice.
What’s notable is that Trump’s lawyer said “yes we know we have to comply with court orders but this one is literally impossible to comply with in time,” which is the type of position that makes a token gesture towards complying, while also showing that they weren’t going to comply in time.
In 2025, a sitting US president openly defying the courts is considered “low-key.”
It’s low key in the sense that Trump seems to have been prepared to disobey the order, but it never took effect. The order was “pay people what you owe them by Wednesday at 11:59pm,” and the Trump admin got an order from the Supreme Court pausing that requirement until further notice.
What’s notable is that Trump’s lawyer said “yes we know we have to comply with court orders but this one is literally impossible to comply with in time,” which is the type of position that makes a token gesture towards complying, while also showing that they weren’t going to comply in time.
“Low-key” as in he’s found a relatively low-key way to defy a judge’s order. Any kind of defying a judge’s order is of course a very dramatic action.