Trump Blasts Supreme Court Justices Over Tariff Decision in Scathing White House Remarks

President Trump delivered harsh criticism of Supreme Court justices Friday after they struck down his global tariffs in a 6-3 ruling. The president expressed shame over justices he appointed who voted against him while praising those who supported his position in dissent.

President Donald Trump delivered a scathing 45-minute response Friday following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn his global tariff policies, targeting specific justices with unusually harsh personal criticism.

The high court’s 6-3 decision against the tariffs prompted Trump to express disappointment and shame toward certain members of the nation’s highest judicial body during remarks to reporters at the White House.

“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 our country,” Trump stated from the White House briefing room.

The ruling particularly stung Trump because it included votes from two justices he nominated during his first presidency – Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett – who joined Chief Justice John Roberts and the court’s three liberal members in the majority opinion.

Trump’s response marked an extraordinary public attack on the Supreme Court by a sitting president, even as his administration has previously criticized lower court decisions that have blocked his policy initiatives since returning to office in January 2025.

Speaking from behind a lectern in dimly lit conditions, the president questioned the patriotism of some justices and alleged the court “has been swayed by foreign interests,” though he offered no supporting evidence for this claim.

Trump directed especially sharp words at his own appointees Gorsuch and Barrett for their votes against the tariff policy, which he has used as a key tool in foreign relations.

“I think it’s an embarrassment to their families, you wanna know the truth, the two of them,” Trump said, referring to Gorsuch and Barrett.

In contrast, the president offered high praise for Justice Brett Kavanaugh, another of his appointees, who authored the dissenting opinion alongside Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.

“I’d like to thank and congratulate Justices Thomas, Alito, and Kavanaugh for their strength and wisdom and love of our country, which is, right now, very proud of those justices,” Trump declared. “When you read the dissenting opinions, there’s no way that anyone can argue against them.”

Kavanaugh’s dissent suggested the ruling might not significantly limit presidential tariff authority in the future, noting that the court concluded Trump “checked the wrong statutory box by relying on (an emergency economic powers law) rather than another statute to impose these tariffs.”

The justice wrote that Friday’s decision doesn’t prevent the president “from imposing most if not all of these same sorts of tariffs under other statutory authorities” and that “the court’s decision is not likely to greatly restrict presidential tariff authority going forward.”

Trump repeatedly highlighted Kavanaugh during his remarks, calling his 2018 appointee’s work “genius” and expressing pride in the nomination that survived a contentious Senate confirmation process.

“I would like to thank Justice Kavanaugh for his, frankly, his genius and his great ability,” Trump said. “Very proud of that appointment.”

The president also targeted the court’s liberal wing with harsh criticism, referring to them as “the Democrats on the court.”

“They’re an automatic no, just like in Congress. They’re an automatic no. They’re against anything that makes America strong, healthy and great again,” Trump said. “They also are a, frankly, disgrace to our nation, those justices.”

The Supreme Court, which maintains a 6-3 conservative majority, had generally supported Trump’s broad executive power claims in emergency rulings over the past year, making Friday’s defeat particularly notable for the administration.

The tariff policies were implemented under legislation designed for national emergencies, but the majority found this legal justification insufficient to support the broad trade measures.