Donald Trump Slams Supreme Court Justices After Tariff Ruling

U.S. President Donald Trump strongly criticised the Supreme Court justices who dealt his administration a major blow by invalidating its sweeping global tariff policy. Calling the ruling “deeply disappointing,” Trump said the justices in the majority opinion should be “absolutely ashamed” and lacked the courage to “do the right thing", BBC reported. 

The decision, issued Friday, held that presidents do not possess inherent authority to impose broad tariffs on other countries without clear congressional approval. The ruling marked one of the most significant setbacks of Trump’s second term.

Speaking at a White House press conference just hours after the verdict, Trump turned his remarks into a wide-ranging attack on the judiciary, a co-equal branch of government. He said he felt personally slighted by the outcome and repeatedly criticised the six justices who voted against his tariff authority.

The majority included Chief Justice John Roberts, along with Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, both appointed by Trump as well as Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Trump accused the court of being influenced by “foreign interests,” though he offered no evidence to support the claim and declined to elaborate when pressed by reporters. He also described the ruling as an embarrassment, even referencing the families of some justices, a rare and striking move.

At the same time, Trump praised the three dissenting justices, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh, for their “strength and wisdom.” Justice Kavanaugh, in a lengthy dissent, warned that the ruling could force the government to refund billions of dollars in tariff revenue and create administrative chaos.

Despite the setback, Trump signalled he would seek alternative methods to continue imposing tariffs, underscoring how central trade policy remains to his economic agenda.

Legal and trade experts noted that the president’s strong reaction was unsurprising given the high stakes of the case. Some described the ruling as a reaffirmation of constitutional limits on executive power, while others said Trump viewed it as a direct challenge to his authority.