Donald Trump has launched a blistering attack on the US Supreme Court after it struck down much of his unilateral tariff policy, branding three of its conservative justices “disloyal” and “fools”.
Speaking at a hastily convened White House press conference, the president expressed “deep disappointment” at the 6-3 ruling and said he was “absolutely ashamed” of the Republican appointees who had failed to back his signature policy. He singled out Chief Justice John Roberts and his own appointees Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, accusing them of being beholden to “foreign interests”.
In response, Trump announced he would invoke Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act to impose a 10% levy on all imports, a measure that can remain in place for only 150 days without congressional approval. He also said his administration would begin the process of imposing sector-specific tariffs under Section 301 of the same law and threatened to use Section 338 of the 1930 Tariff Act, which allows a 50% tax on countries that discriminate against American products.
He also referred to Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act, previously used during his first term to tax imported steel and aluminium. However, such measures require a Commerce Department investigation and a legally required notice-and-comment period.
Regarding the billions of dollars already collected under the now-invalidated tariffs, Trump suggested his administration had no plans to order refunds, declaring that the issue would likely be litigated for years. He complained that the court's opinion had not addressed the question of repayments.
