On Monday, President Donald Trump became the first sitting president to attend oral arguments at the Supreme Court, witnessing the justices deliberate on the contentious birthright citizenship case. His presence, however, was overshadowed by the court's recent 6-3 invalidation of his tariffs plan, a move that deeply angered the president. Trump sat in the public gallery, facing justices he has publicly criticized and whom he has attempted to intimidate, particularly Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett.

The court's decision to strike down the tariffs, seen as a core pillar of his administration's agenda, has significantly strained relations. Trump's attendance underscores the high stakes of the current case, which challenges the 14th Amendment's interpretation of citizenship for children born in the US to undocumented immigrants. The president's ongoing fury with the justices, including his nominees Gorsuch and Barrett, who sided with the majority in the tariffs case, adds a volatile layer to the proceedings.