President Trump claimed on July 29 that the Supreme Court’s rulings on tariffs and birthright citizenship have cost the nation “trillions and trillions of dollars,” launching his latest attack on the justices who rejected two cornerstone policies of his administration. Trump wrote on Truth Social, “Does anybody have any idea how much Money and Prestige the United States Supreme Court has cost our Nation with their negative Rulings on Birthright Citizenship and TARIFFS?”
The attacks target two major decisions from the Supreme Court’s 2026 term. In February, the justices ruled 6-3 that Trump lacked authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to unilaterally impose tariffs on trading partners including Canada, China, and Mexico. The ruling required the Trump administration to provide restitution to firms that paid higher prices for imported goods; as of June 29, U.S. Customs and Border Protection had issued roughly $104.29 billion in refunds, according to a court filing.
Last month, the justices also invalidated Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship, ruling that children born on U.S. soil have a constitutional right to citizenship regardless of their parents’ immigration status. The 14th Amendment guarantee, the court held, applies to all children born in the United States and subject to its jurisdiction. Notably, two of Trump’s own appointees — Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Justice Brett Kavanaugh — sided with the majority in upholding the constitutional principle.
Trump has repeatedly branded the justices who ruled against him “unpatriotic,” “disloyal,” and “a disgrace to our nation.” His criticism extends back to February, when he first attacked the court over the tariff decision, calling certain justices “very unpatriotic and disloyal to our Constitution.” The pattern of personal attacks on the judiciary reflects Trump’s broader conflict with the federal courts, a dynamic that has intensified throughout his administration.
The Supreme Court’s tariff ruling struck at the heart of Trump’s economic policy, which he had positioned as central to his administration’s trade agenda. Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, determined that Trump lacked peacetime authority to use the emergency economic powers statute for tariff authority. The decision forced Trump to pursue tariffs under different statutes, including Section 301 authority, to continue his trade policy under new legal grounds.
On birthright citizenship, researchers from Princeton University, Cornell University, and Notre Dame University estimated that beneficiaries of birthright citizenship contributed $7.7 trillion to the American economy through income from 1975 to 2024, contradicting Trump’s assertion that the ruling costs the nation economically. Trump has argued that the Supreme Court’s decision benefits U.S. adversaries, particularly Russia and China, though he has provided no evidence for the claim.
The deadline for the Trump administration to petition for a rehearing on the birthright citizenship case passed on July 27 without such a filing, according to court records. Multiple GOP lawmakers, meanwhile, have introduced legislation to codify Trump’s original executive order, signaling Republican efforts to circumvent the court’s decision through Congress.
Sources
- The Hill — Trump’s July 29 statement claiming the rulings cost the nation “trillions and trillions” of dollars; details on the tariff refunds and birthright citizenship ruling
- SCOTUS Blog — The February 20, 2026 tariff ruling and its legal basis under IEEPA; the June 30 birthright citizenship decision and the missed rehearing deadline
- The Independent — Trump’s repeated branding of justices as “unpatriotic,” “disloyal,” and “a disgrace to our nation”; details on Barrett and Kavanaugh joining the majority
- Council on Foreign Relations — Analysis of the tariff decision and its implications for trade policy
- Princeton, Cornell, and Notre Dame research — Economic contribution of birthright citizenship beneficiaries to the U.S. economy ($7.7 trillion from 1975-2024)
