Trump calls Supreme Court justices who ruled against tariffs 'disloyal'

President Trump slammed the Supreme Court justices who struck down his tariffs on Friday, which included two justices he appointed, saying he was “ashamed of certain members of the court.” 

“They’re very unpatriotic and disloyal to our Constitution. 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. It’s a small movement,” Trump told reporters at a White House press briefing he held in the aftermath of the momentous opinion.

“I’d like to thank and congratulate Justices Thomas Alito and [Brett] Kavanaugh for their strength and wisdom and love of our country, which is right now, very proud of those justices,” he said, referring to the dissenting justices. Trump also appointed Kavanaugh during his first term as president.

In a 6-3 ruling, the justices rejected Trump’s expanded use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act in imposing tariffs on nearly every country. The 1970s law allows the president to “regulate” imports when necessary to respond to national emergencies that pose an “unusual and extraordinary” threat.

Shortly after the start of his second administration last year, Trump slapped tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China under IEEPA, arguing the countries were a posing a threat to U.S. national security by failing to control fentanyl trafficking from their nations into the U.S.

Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, who Trump nominated during his first term, ruled with Chief Justice John Roberts and high court’s three liberal justices to deem Trump’s use of the emergency powers as unlawful.

Trump downplayed the possibility of Thomas and Alito retiring in order to nominate justices who are ideologically aligned to the president.

“They’re great justices. That’s all I can say. And I hope they be around a long time. I hope they say healthy. They’re great people.”

Trump went on to hit Gorsuch and Barrett during the briefing, saying their move to rule against the tariffs is “an embarrassment to their families.”

“I don’t want to say whether I regret nominating them. I think their decision was terrible,” Trump told reporters at the White House press briefing.

“I think it’s an embarrassment to their families,” he said.

When asked by The Hill if Trump wants to see all of justices invited to his State of the Union address on Tuesday, the president said they were but “barely.”

“They are barely invited. Three of them are invited. To be honest, I could care less if they come or not,” Trump said.

During the press briefing, Trump revealed he would impose a universal tariff of 10 percent and begin investigations that could lead to import taxes on a wide range of countries and goods.

Additionally, Trump clarified that other tariffs he imposed on metals and other imports, which were not involved in the Supreme Court case, would remain in effect.

“In order to protect our country, a president can actually charge more tariffs than I was charging in the past period of a year under the various tariffs authorities,” Trump told reporters Friday.

“So we can use other of the statutes, other of the tariff authorities, which have also been confirmed and are fully allowed,” he added.