President Donald Trump sharply criticized two Supreme Court justices he appointed, lamenting what he called a “devastating” ruling against his tariff policy while suggesting the court could soon rule against his administration again on birthright citizenship.
In a lengthy Sunday night Truth Social post, Trump singled out Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett by name after they joined Chief Justice John Roberts and the court’s liberal wing in a recent ruling striking down his use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs.
“I ‘Love’ Justice Neil Gorsuch! He’s a really smart and good man, but he voted against me, and our Country, on Tariffs, a devastating move,” Trump wrote. “How do I reconcile this? So bad, and hurtful to our Country.”
Trump added that he also “liked and respected” Barrett, but said both justices had “hurt our Country so badly” with the ruling.
The president argued the decision could cost the United States billions of dollars in refunded tariff payments.
“They were appointed by me, and yet have hurt our Country so badly!” Trump wrote. “I do not believe they meant to do so, but their decision on Tariffs 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. It’s hardly believable!”
Trump claimed the court could have avoided forcing the administration to repay tariff revenues by adding what he described as a “tiny” sentence to the ruling.
“They could have solved that situation with a ‘tiny’ sentence, ‘Any money paid by others to the United States does not have to be paid back,’” he wrote. “Why wouldn’t they have done so?”
The Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling against Trump’s tariff authority under IEEPA saw Gorsuch, Barrett, and Roberts side with Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Brett Kavanaugh dissented. (RELATED: Supreme Court Strikes Down Most Trump Tariffs, Reasserts Congress’ Role)
Trump went even further in the post, arguing that some Republican-appointed justices have become overly eager to distance themselves from conservatives.
“With certain Republican Nominated Justices that we have on the Supreme Court, the Democrats don’t really need to ‘PACK THE COURT’ any longer,” Trump wrote. “In fact, I should be the one wanting to PACK THE COURT!”
He also complained that Republican-appointed justices often seek to appear “independent,” while Democratic-appointed justices remain loyal to the presidents who nominated them. (RELATED: Supreme Court Rules On Trump Tariffs)
“What is the reason for this?” Trump wrote. “They have to do the right thing, but it’s really OK for them to be loyal to the person that appointed them to ‘almost’ the highest position in the land, that is, a Justice of the United States Supreme Court.”
“Democrat Justices always remain true to the people that honored them for that very special Nomination,” he continued. “They don’t waver, no matter how good or bad a case may be, but Republican Justices often go out of their way to oppose me, because they want to show how ‘independent’ or, ‘above it all,’ they are.”
Trump also predicted the court could soon rule against his administration on birthright citizenship, another major issue currently pending before the Supreme Court.
The president tied that concern to his unprecedented appearance at a Supreme Court session earlier this year.
“I choose people to help our Country, not to hurt it,” Trump wrote, “and now, based on what I witnessed recently by being the first President in History to attend a Supreme Court session … they will be ruling against us on Birthright Citizenship, making us the only Country in the World that practices this unsustainable, unsafe, and incredibly costly DISASTER.”
While Trump insisted he was not demanding personal loyalty from the justices, he suggested their rulings should align more closely with what he believes is best for the country.
“I don’t want loyalty,” he wrote, “but I do want and expect it for our Country.”
Trump also warned that an unfavorable ruling on birthright citizenship, combined with the court’s tariff decision, could have severe economic consequences.
“Yes, I have another way of doing Tariffs, but it is far slower, and more laborious than what was just determined, in a close decision, to be ‘illegal’ or ‘unconstitutional,’” Trump wrote. “Sometimes decisions have to be allowed to use Good, Strong, Common Sense as a guide.”
“A negative ruling on Birthright Citizenship, on top of the recent Supreme Court Tariff catastrophe, is not economically sustainable for the United States of America!”
