President Donald Trump delivered a fiery State of the Union address on Feb. 24, 2026, criticizing the Supreme Court for striking down his tariff plan. He called the ruling "deeply disappointing" and accused justices of being swayed by "foreign interests," sparing no one, including his own appointees. Only four justices attended the speech: Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. The rest—Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson—skipped the event entirely.

The court’s 6-3 decision in late February invalidated Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs, which imposed a 10% baseline duty on most imports. Trump vowed to reinstate the tariffs through alternative means, claiming congressional action wouldn’t be needed. He praised dissenting justices Kavanaugh, Alito, and Thomas but reserved harshest words for Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, calling them "an embarrassment to their families."

Trump’s remarks followed his April 2, 2025, Liberation Day tariff announcement, which triggered retaliatory taxes from trading partners and a stock market plunge. Despite the ruling, he asserted his backup plan would keep tariffs intact. The president also defended the dissents, stating, "When you read the dissenting opinions, there’s no way that anyone can argue against them."

The fallout highlights tensions between executive power and judicial oversight. With five justices absent from the SOTU, analysts question whether partisan dynamics will intensify. For investors, the uncertainty around trade policy and judicial influence on economic decisions remains a critical watchpoint.