Trump Criticizes Supreme Court Justices Over Tariffs Ruling
US President Donald Trump issued a strongly worded critique of the six Supreme Court justices who delivered a significant defeat to his administration by invalidating the global tariffs imposed during his second term.
The court's ruling on Friday was described by Trump as "deeply disappointing." He stated that the justices who formed the majority opinion should be "absolutely ashamed" and accused them of lacking the courage to "do the right thing." His remarks constituted a broad and personal attack on a co-equal branch of government.
This sharp rebuke was notable even for a president known for disregarding political conventions and openly confronting those who oppose his authority.
"I'm ashamed of certain members of the court. Absolutely ashamed for not having the courage to do what's right for our country," Trump said at the beginning of a White House press conference held a few hours after the decision was announced.
Trump expressed his disapproval of the ruling without reservation, emphasizing that the decision determined presidents do not possess inherent authority to impose wide-ranging tariffs on any nation.
During the 45-minute press conference, Trump criticized the ruling extensively and outlined his intention to pursue alternative methods to maintain tariffs on other countries. Throughout his remarks, he repeatedly returned to the justices, indicating he felt personally affronted by the outcome.
The president did not differentiate between Republican and Democratic appointees among the justices.
The six justices who invalidated Trump's tariffs were evenly split between the court's liberal and conservative factions. Three—Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson—were appointed by Democratic presidents. The other three were Republican appointees. Chief Justice John Roberts, appointed by George W. Bush, authored the majority opinion, while Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett were appointed by Trump during his first term.
"They're just being fools and lapdogs for the Rhinos and the radical left Democrats," Trump said, using the term "Republicans in Name Only" (Rhinos) commonly employed by some conservatives to criticize Republicans perceived as insufficiently loyal to the party.
Trump further alleged that the court's decision was influenced by "foreign interests," although he did not provide any supporting details or evidence.
"It's my opinion that the court has been swayed by foreign interests," he stated.
When pressed by a reporter to clarify his claim, Trump declined to elaborate.
Asked whether he regretted nominating Gorsuch and Coney Barrett, Trump stopped short of admitting any error but described their votes as an "embarrassment" and referenced their families, an unusual tactic.
"It's an embarrassment to their families, to one another," Trump said.
Conversely, Trump praised the three justices who voted to uphold his tariffs authority: Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Brett Kavanaugh.
He gave particular recognition to Kavanaugh, his other first-term appointee.
In a detailed dissent, Kavanaugh warned that the government would be compelled to refund billions in tariff revenue and described the process as a "mess." Trump thanked Kavanaugh, Thomas, and Alito "for their strength and wisdom and love of our country."
Observers and trade experts noted that Trump's reaction was unsurprising given the high stakes involved for him.
"I think the court was well aware of the importance to the president of this decision," said Alan Wm Wolff, former deputy director-general of the World Trade Organization.
Colin Grabow, a trade expert at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank in Washington, described the ruling as "a victory for the rule of law."
"It's unfortunate that he attacked these justices," Grabow said.
"The Supreme Court said [Trump] went too far," he added. "President Trump took that as an affront. It's not a surprise."
