US President Donald Trump lashed out at the Supreme Court on Friday (February 20th) after it struck down his sweeping global tariffs in a 6-3 decision, calling the decision “deeply disappointing”.
In a White House briefing room, Trump said he was “ashamed of some of the members of the court, absolutely ashamed that they don’t have the courage to do what is right for our country.” He described the ruling as a “disgrace” and said some judges are “frankly a disgrace to our nation. They are very unpatriotic and disloyal to our constitution.”
Criticism of judicial authority
Trump blasted the ruling for preventing him from charging even a single dollar under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
“It had to be done to protect those other countries, certainly not the United States of America, which they should be interested in protecting. That’s what they’re supposed to protect,” he said.
He also mentioned voter fraud, which is a frequent point of discussion, while condemning the verdict.
“I won by millions of votes. We won by a landslide. With all the fraud that went on, there was a lot of it, we still won by a landslide that’s too big to manipulate,” Trump said.
Kudos to the dissenting judges
Trump praised the three conservative justices who dissented — Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh.
“I want to thank and congratulate Justices Thomas, Alito and Kavanaugh for their strength and wisdom and love for our country, which is very proud of these justices right now,” he said.
He singled out Kavanaugh and emphasized his dissent: “I want to thank Judge Kavanaugh for his, frankly, his genius and his great ability. I’m actually proud of this appointment.”
Harsh words for the majority judges
Trump did not hold back in criticizing the judges who struck down the tariffs, including Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett.
“They are against everything that makes America strong, healthy and great again. Frankly, they are also a disgrace to our nation, these judges, they are an automatic no,” Trump said.
Asked if he regretted the nominations of Gorsuch and Barrett, he said: “I think their decision was terrible. I think it’s embarrassing for their families, you want to know the truth, the two of them.”
Economic concerns highlighted
The president warned that without tariffs, foreign countries have been and will continue to outperform the US in certain industries.
“This is what presidents should have done years ago,” Trump said. “They allowed our country to be eaten alive. He specifically identified industries such as automobiles as areas where US competitiveness has suffered.
President Trump’s press conference comes shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down sweeping U.S. tariffs he enforced under a law designed to be used during national emergencies.
Click here for the latest updates on the US Supreme Court’s customs decision
The decision handed the Republican leader a significant legal setback, curtailing his use of emergency powers to reshape US trade policy and raising uncertainty about the future of his tariff strategy. Trump claimed he had a “backup plan,” Reuters reported.
What did the US Supreme Court say?
In a landmark opinion issued Friday (Feb. 20), the justices, in a 6-3 decision authored by conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, upheld a lower court’s ruling that Trump exceeded his authority in using a 1977 law to impose sweeping tariffs.
The court ruled that the law in question, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), did not grant the president the power he claimed to impose broad tariffs on most of America’s trading partners.
The decision was made when the president met with the country’s governors at the White House. He called the decision a “disgrace” and left, Reuters reported.
Read also | US Supreme Court Rejects Trump Tariffs, Says ‘You Have No Authority’
Will the US have to return billions?
On Friday, economists at the Penn Wharton Budget Model reportedly estimated that the tariffs imposed under the IEEPA generated more than $175 billion in revenue. And that amount will likely have to be returned with the Supreme Court ruling against IEEPA-based tariffs, according to a Reuters report.
Trump previously mentioned on Truth Social that repaying the money would be “an absolute mess” and “nearly impossible for our country to pay.” He said the compensation could reach “many hundreds of billions of dollars” – estimated at more than $130 billion, according to a BBC report published in January 2026.
Read also | How Canada, the UK and others responded to the US Supreme Court ruling on Trump tariffs