‘Trillions of dollars’: Trump escalates attack on Supreme Court

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump escalated his criticism of the Supreme Court Saturday, September 19, saying its rulings on tariffs and birthright citizenship cost the United States “trillions of dollars.”

The court's decisions blocked key parts of Trump's agenda, including sweeping tariffs and an effort to restrict birthright citizenship.

Trump made the accusation in a Truth Social post, calling the rulings “faulty, political, and ridiculous.”

Trump targets court over two major rulings

Trump said the Supreme Court had lacked the “Courage” to advance his agenda and blamed the justices for economic and immigration-policy setbacks.

“Over the last 6 months, with their faulty, political, and ridiculous decisions on TARIFFS and Birthright Citizenship, they have cost the United States of America Trillions of Dollars,” Trump wrote.

In February, the Supreme Court ruled that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act did not give Trump authority to impose sweeping global tariffs. 

The administration then had to unwind the policy and issue refunds to importers, while pursuing alternative tariff authorities.

The court also ruled against Trump's attempt to limit birthright citizenship in June. 

The justices upheld a broad interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment's Citizenship Clause protecting children born in the United States to parents who are unlawfully or temporarily present.

Justice Clarence Thomas dissented, saying he was not convinced the court's interpretation would “stand the test of time.”

The rulings came from a court with a conservative majority that includes three Trump appointees: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

Birthright citizenship fight continues after ruling

The administration has continued pursuing restrictions on birthright citizenship and measures targeting what it describes as birth tourism.

Earlier this month, a federal judge blocked enforcement of a new Trump administration order seeking to restrict birthright citizenship, ruling that the government could not deny citizenship to a class of children the Supreme Court had determined were citizens at birth.

US District Judge Deborah Boardman wrote, “The Supreme Court has spoken: Children in the certified class are ‘citizens at birth.’ ... The president must follow it.”

The Supreme Court's June ruling was authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote that birthright citizenship extends to “every free-born person in this land” and concluded, “We keep that promise today.”

The administration has also issued separate directives aimed at preventing foreign nationals from traveling to the United States primarily to give birth and obtain citizenship for their children.

President Trump says we will prevail despite setbacks

Trump's Saturday post did not announce new legal action or a new policy initiative in response to either Supreme Court ruling.

Instead, he said the decisions had “forever damaged the way people become Citizens of our great Country” and declared that his administration would continue forward.

“It has been a sad chapter in the life and times of America, but we will prevail!” Trump wrote.

The administration has pursued alternative legal pathways on both tariffs and immigration after the Supreme Court decisions. 

The White House has not immediately indicated whether Trump is seeking additional legislative or legal remedies in response to either ruling.

Trump and his allies have also continued discussing ways to keep the birthright citizenship fight alive through future litigation, legislation and judicial nominations.

The administration is also pursuing measures against birth tourism and other categories it argues fall outside traditional protections.