Trump lashes out after Supreme Court rebuke and moves to impose new 10% tariff
The president reacted angrily after a recent supreme court ruling that rejected parts of his tariff program, calling the justices who opposed him “fools and lap dogs” and saying he would press forward with a new across-the-board 10 percent tariff under Section 122.
Trump pivots to new tariff powers
On Friday, the president said he would use a different set of trade authorities to impose the 10 percent tariff beginning on Tuesday, invoking Section 122 as the mechanism for the levy. He also announced he would open investigations under Section 301 into alleged unfair trade practices, which he said could yield additional tariffs.
Supreme Court rebuke and personal attacks
The president’s remarks on Friday included sharp personal attacks on members of the court: he called the justices who voted against his tariffs “fools and lap dogs, ” accused some of being corrupted by unspecified foreign influence and used the word “slimeballs. ” He singled out Justice Neil M. Gorsuch and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, saying they were “an embarrassment to their families” after siding with the majority that rejected his actions, and he praised Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh as “a genius. ”
He said the three justices who ruled in his favor were invited to his State of the Union address next week but added, “They’re barely invited…Honestly, I couldn’t care less if they come. ” Conservative retired judge J. Michael Luttig called the president’s public attacks “the president’s most spectacular display yet of his utter disrespect for the Constitution and his contempt for the Supreme Court of the United States. ”
First final ruling and immediate consequences
Friday marked the first time the court issued a final ruling on the legality of a piece of the president’s agenda, and the administration did not indicate it would defy that ruling. Instead, the president moved quickly to use the legal authorities he said remained available, naming Section 122 for the immediate 10 percent tariff and Section 301 for follow-up investigations.
The next confirmed milestones are the start of the across-the-board 10 percent tariff on Tuesday and the launch of Section 301 investigations that the president said could produce further trade measures; the president has also publicly extended invitations to the justices who sided with him for his State of the Union address next week.
