President Trump’s fury at the Supreme Court spilled into the open Saturday as he announced a 15% tariff on all global imports and launched extraordinary attacks on two of his own Supreme Court appointees. The tariff hike and judicial criticism came within hours of a landmark court ruling against his trade policy.
The Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling determined that Trump’s use of the IEEPA to impose sweeping tariffs was unlawful without congressional authorization. Trump’s response was to invoke Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, a provision allowing up to 15% tariffs for 150 days. He described the move as legally clean and immediately effective.
At the White House, Trump made pointed remarks about Justices Barrett and Gorsuch, saying they were “barely” invited to next week’s State of the Union and calling them an embarrassment to their families. He accused all the majority justices of being “unpatriotic and disloyal to our constitution,” while lavishing praise on dissenters Kavanaugh, Thomas, and Alito.
The diplomatic fallout was immediate. Germany’s Chancellor Merz warned that fluctuating tariff policy was economically toxic and announced plans to fly to Washington with a joint European position. France’s President Macron celebrated the role of judicial oversight in preventing executive overreach. The UK, locked into a 10% deal now superseded, faces fresh uncertainty.
Business groups on both sides of the Atlantic called the hike damaging. Studies show 90% of the $130 billion in tariffs already collected has been paid by American businesses and consumers. Exemptions for the new rate include critical minerals, metals, pharmaceuticals, and compliant goods from Canada and Mexico. Sector-specific levies on steel, aluminum, lumber, and autos remain unaffected.