Trump Blasts Supreme Court Justices After Tariff Ruling, Calls Own Appointees ‘Embarrassment’

President Trump launched a scathing attack on Supreme Court justices after six voted to strike down his global tariff policy. He specifically targeted two justices he appointed, calling them an 'embarrassment to their families.'

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump faced a major setback Friday when the Supreme Court dealt a crushing blow to his worldwide tariff program, with six justices ruling against the trade policy that formed a cornerstone of his economic agenda.

The decision sparked an extraordinary public rebuke from Trump, who unleashed harsh criticism against the justices who ruled against him, particularly targeting two of his own Supreme Court nominees.

The ruling challenged Trump’s expansive use of emergency powers for trade policy and tested whether the high court would maintain its independence from presidential pressure.

‘The Supreme Court’s ruling on tariffs is deeply disappointing and I’m ashamed of certain members of the court, absolutely ashamed, for not having the courage to do what’s right for the country,’ Trump declared during a White House briefing room appearance hours after Chief Justice John Roberts authored the majority opinion.

While Trump said he anticipated opposition from the court’s three liberal justices, he praised their consistency. ‘But you can’t knock their loyalty,’ he remarked. ‘It’s one thing you can do with some of our people.’

When pressed about Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, both Trump nominees who sided with the majority, the president didn’t hold back. ‘I think it’s an embarrassment to their families, if you want to know the truth, the two of them,’ Trump stated.

Vice President JD Vance joined the criticism, though avoiding personal attacks. ‘This is lawlessness from the Court, plain and simple,’ Vance posted on X. Notably, Vance’s wife Usha previously served as a law clerk for Chief Justice Roberts.

The tariff challenge drew support from across the political spectrum, with the libertarian Liberty Justice Center leading the legal fight alongside business organizations including the Chamber of Commerce.

Trump’s relationship with the Supreme Court has been complicated since his first presidency began in 2017. While he secured a major victory in 2024 with a presidential immunity decision that shielded him from prosecution related to his 2020 election challenges, this latest ruling represents a significant defeat.

During his current term’s early months, Trump had successfully won several emergency appeals that enabled implementation of his immigration enforcement policies and other priority initiatives.

Presidential criticism of Supreme Court decisions spans American history. Thomas Jefferson opposed the landmark Marbury v. Madison ruling that established judicial review powers. Franklin Roosevelt, frustrated by New Deal setbacks, unsuccessfully attempted to expand the court by adding justices.

Barack Obama used his 2010 State of the Union address to criticize the Citizens United decision while justices sat in the audience, prompting Justice Samuel Alito to mouth ‘not true’ in response. Alito hasn’t attended the annual speech since.

However, Trump’s personal attacks crossed traditional boundaries, according to Ed Whelan, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and former clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia.

‘It’s entirely fine for a president to criticize a Supreme Court ruling that goes against him. But it’s demagogic for President Trump to contend that the justices who voted against him did so because of lack of courage,’ Whelan explained in an email.

Past presidents have privately expressed disappointment with their appointees’ decisions. Dwight Eisenhower reportedly told associates that selecting Chief Justice Earl Warren following the Brown v. Board of Education ruling was his greatest error, according to biographer Stephen Ambrose.

Theodore Roosevelt allegedly criticized Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes for a dissenting opinion, saying he ‘could carve out of a banana a judge with more backbone.’ Holmes was a Civil War veteran wounded in battle.

The key difference is that previous presidential criticisms occurred privately, not during a livestreamed White House briefing.

Trump and Chief Justice Roberts have clashed before, with Roberts issuing two public statements defending federal judges against Trump’s attacks.

While Trump avoided naming Roberts directly Friday, he appeared to target the chief justice when claiming he lost because justices ‘want to be politically correct’ and are ‘catering to a group of people in D.C.’

Trump employed similar rhetoric when criticizing Roberts’ 2012 vote that preserved Obamacare.

The timing mirrors the Citizens United aftermath, as Trump and several justices will likely share the same space Tuesday when the president delivers his State of the Union address to Congress.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg once fell asleep during a presidential speech, later blaming California wine for her drowsiness. Tuesday evening, no justice is expected to doze off.