President Donald Trump delivered a veiled warning that foreign influence and political machinations may have scared the Supreme Court in to rule against his tariff plans.
Speaking Friday afternoon at the White House, the president addressed how the high court struck down his sweeping tariff agenda rolled out in early April 2025.
The major 6-3 decision effectively freezes the president’s varying tariff rates that he deployed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977.
The Supreme Court’s decision could force the administration to repay the $175 billion in tariff revenues it has collected. Trump slammed justices that ruled against them, calling them embarrassments to their families.
‘It’s my opinion that the court has been swayed by foreign interests and a political movement that is far smaller than people would ever think,’ the president said from the White House Briefing Room.
‘And I think certain justices are still afraid of that,’ Trump eerily added, indicating that some of the nine Supreme Court justices may be ruling against him out of intimidation from unnamed foreign entities.
‘They don’t want to do the right thing,’ Trump continued. ‘They’re afraid of it.’
Later, when asked for clarification about the political and foreign influence being exerted on the justices, the president talked about shadowy, unnamed people with ‘undue influence’ over the Supreme Court.
‘It’s my opinion that the court has been swayed by foreign interests and a political movement that is far smaller than people would ever think,’ the president said from the White House Briefing Room
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff plan, ruling that he cannot use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 to deploy varying tariff rates on different counties
‘Foreign interests are represented by people that I believe have undue influence and a lot of influence over the Supreme Court, whether it’s through fear or respect or friendships, I don’t know, but I know some of the people that were involved on the other side, and I don’t like them,’ the president said.
‘I think they’re real slime balls, and got to do what’s right for the right for the Constitution.’
Pressed again for more information to identify the ‘foreign interests’ and ‘political movement’ behind the alleged pressure campaign, Trump teased the journalists.
‘You’ll find out,’ Trump said without adding more.
The president also went after the justices himself.
Trump said the justices who ruled against him will still be invited to attend his upcoming State of the Union speech Tuesday, ‘but barely,’ adding he does not care one way or another if they attend.
He also torched the conservatives that ruled against him, Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Justice Neil Gorsuch.
‘I think it’s an embarrassment to their families,’ the president said of the two right-leaning justices.
Trump said on Friday that the families of Gorsuch and Barrett should be ’embarrassed’ after the way the justices ruled against the tariff plan
Despite the blow, the White House still has options to deploy tariffs, the president said.
He floated using ‘powerful alternatives’ to his tariffs as a way to ensure the US ‘takes in more money’ from foreign countries and said he would sign a 10 percent global tariff on Friday after his briefing.
‘We have alternatives,’ he insisted. ‘Great alternatives – could be more money, we’ll take in more money, and we’ll be a lot stronger for it.’
