Trump Blasts Supreme Court Justices He Appointed Over Tariff Ruling, Accuses Them of Betrayal

President Donald Trump publicly attacked two Supreme Court justices he personally appointed, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, after they joined the majority in a February ruling that struck down most of his global tariffs. The court’s 6-3 decision, authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, held that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize the president to impose tariffs, undercutting a key pillar of Trump’s economic strategy.

On his social media platform Sunday evening, Trump expressed disbelief and frustration, writing, “They were appointed by me, and yet have hurt our Country so badly!” He claimed the tariff ruling “cost the United States 159 Billion Dollars that we have to pay back to enemies, and people, companies, and Countries, that have been ripping us off for years.” Trump suggested a simple fix the justices could have made: “Any money paid by others to the United States does not have to be paid back.”

The president’s ire is notable because Gorsuch and Barrett have generally voted in line with conservative, Trump-backed positions on the court. Barrett authored last year’s landmark decision limiting nationwide injunctions against Trump policies, and Gorsuch recently reaffirmed his commitment to judicial independence despite Trump’s personal attacks.

Trump also implied that Republican-appointed justices owe loyalty to the president who nominated them, stating, “It’s really OK for them to be loyal to the person that appointed them to ‘almost’ the highest position in the land.” He went further, suggesting that with current conservative justices, Democrats no longer need to “pack the court” — a reference to the contentious political battle over expanding the Supreme Court.

Beyond tariffs, Trump expressed concern that the court might also block his attempt to restrict birthright citizenship, a case heard by the Supreme Court in early April. He acknowledged he does not want personal loyalty from justices but “do[es] want and expect it for our Country.”

This public rebuke exposes deep tensions between Trump and the judiciary he helped shape. It underscores the president’s expectation that the courts serve as loyal enforcers of his agenda rather than independent arbiters of the law. The tariff ruling not only invalidated a signature Trump policy but also revealed the limits of presidential power under the Constitution — a reality Trump struggles to accept.

As Trump’s rhetoric grows more combative, the independence of the Supreme Court faces unprecedented pressure. The stakes are high: repeated court setbacks on critical policies threaten to fracture the fragile balance between branches of government and undermine public trust in the rule of law.