By John Kruzel
WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump lashed out on Friday at the U.S. Supreme Court and the six justices who struck down his signature global tariffs – including two he appointed – in remarkably personal terms while hailing the three justices who backed him.
Although previous presidents have sharply criticized Supreme Court rulings against them, Trump’s lengthy tirade to reporters at the White House stood out for its contemptuous tone, as well as the personal nature of his scorn and praise.
It represented a remarkable attack by a sitting president on the top U.S. judicial body, even after Trump and other senior officials in his administration over the past year have assailed lower-court judges for rulings impeding his policies since he returned to office in January 2025.
The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, had over the past year permitted Trump’s expansive assertion of executive power, with few exceptions, in a series of decisions issued on an emergency basis.
But Friday’s ruling delivered Trump a stinging defeat. It was authored by Chief Justice John Roberts and joined by two fellow conservatives who Trump appointed during his first term in office – Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett – as well as the three liberal justices.
“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 said at the opening of remarks lasting 45 minutes.
Speaking to reporters from behind a dimly lit lectern in the White House briefing room, Trump impugned the patriotism of some of the justices and claimed that the court “has been swayed by foreign interests,” but declined to provide any evidence.
And he heaped scorn on Gorsuch and Barrett for joining the 6-3 majority ruling that sank his tariffs – a favorite foreign policy cudgel – imposed under a law meant for national emergencies.
“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.
Trump spoke glowingly of a dissenting opinion written on Friday by his other court appointee, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, that was joined by fellow conservatives 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 said. “When you read the dissenting opinions, there’s no way that anyone can argue against them.”
Kavanaugh wrote that the court’s ruling against Trump did not necessarily foreclose the president “from imposing most if not all of these same sorts of tariffs under other statutory authorities,” adding that “the court’s decision is not likely to greatly restrict presidential tariff authority going forward.”
“In essence, the court today concludes that the president checked the wrong statutory box by relying on (an emergency economic powers law) rather than another statute to impose these tariffs,” Kavanaugh wrote.
Trump repeatedly mentioned Kavanaugh, who he appointed to a lifetime position on the court in 2018 and stuck with him through a bruising Senate confirmation battle in which the nominee denied allegations of sexual assault dating back decades.
“I would like to thank Justice Kavanaugh for his, frankly, his genius and his great ability,” Trump said. “Very proud of that appointment.”
Trump called the three liberal justices “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.”
(Reporting by John Kruzel; Additional reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham)
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