Donald Trump posted a 545-word message on Truth Social in which he both praised and attacked two of his own Supreme Court picks, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, in the same post. The message began warmly, with Trump writing, “I ‘Love’ Justice Neil Gorsuch! He’s a really smart and good man.” He also said he “always liked and respected” Barrett.
But the tone quickly changed. According to The Daily Beast, Trump went on to call Gorsuch and Barrett “fools and lapdogs” and an “embarrassment to their families.” The reason for his anger was their recent rulings, which went against his position on tariffs and other matters.
The liberal justices had ruled in February that Trump’s International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not give the president the power to impose tariffs on his own. Despite his sharp criticism of Gorsuch and Barrett, Trump also tried to soften things by suggesting that maybe the two justices “just had a really bad day.”
Trump’s Supreme Court frustration goes beyond tariffs, touching on birthright citizenship too
In the same post, Trump also brought up the Supreme Court’s upcoming decision on his executive order ending birthright citizenship in the United States. He predicted a “negative ruling” and claimed it would make America “the only Country in the World that practices this unsustainable, unsafe, and incredibly costly DISASTER.”
This outburst is part of a broader pattern of Trump’s escalating rhetoric, as he has also been threatening aggressive action against Iran in recent weeks. Trump also said that his experience of being “the first President in History to attend a Supreme Court session” led him to believe “they will be ruling against us on Birthright Citizenship.”
He had attended the oral arguments on birthright citizenship at the Supreme Court last month but left early after some of his own conservative justices did not appear to be convinced by his administration’s arguments.
Trump warned in the post that “a negative ruling on Birthright Citizenship, on top of the recent Supreme Court Tariff catastrophe, is not Economically sustainable for the United States of America.” Trump has also recently made headlines for snapping at a reporter over tough questions about his handling of key domestic and foreign policy issues.
It is worth noting that birthright citizenship is protected under the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause, which has been part of the U.S. Constitution for over a century. Trump’s executive order seeking to end it has faced significant legal challenges since it was issued.
The post is notable because it shows Trump directing anger at justices he personally appointed to the court. Gorsuch was appointed in 2017, and Barrett was appointed in 2020. Both were seen as conservative picks expected to align with Republican priorities, yet Trump has now publicly criticized them in strong terms over their recent decisions.
Published: May 11, 2026 01:04 pm