Donald Trump-appointed Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett stared down the president as he railed against the Supreme Court ruling striking down his tariffs.
Four justices were in attendance for the president’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, including three justices who ruled against the tariffs.
Cameras in the House chamber captured an extreme close-up of Barrett sitting just feet away and watching the president without grimacing as he complained about the ruling.
Barrett was one of the six justices to block the president’s widespread tariffs.
“Just four days ago, an unfortunate ruling from the United States Supreme Court, it just came down, very unfortunate ruling,” Trump complained.
The president insisted that all the countries that have already made deals with the U.S. want to keep their agreements made before what he called the Supreme Court’s “unfortunate involvement.”
As he spoke, Trump appeared to look away from where the justices were sitting to avoid making eye contact, despite having criticized the justices who ruled against his tariffs for days since the opinion was released on Friday.
“I don’t want to say whether I regret nominating them. I think their decision was terrible,” Trump previously told reporters of Barrett and Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was not in attendance for the State of the Union address.
The president also blasted them by name on social media for siding with the majority.
Despite his past attacks, the president chickened out of criticizing them by name on Tuesday, as they sat in the audience.
As he entered the House chamber, Trump also walked right by the justices and even shook Barrett’s hand before making his way to the podium.
After his levies were struck down, Trump announced 10 percent global tariffs, which he later raised to 15 percent less than 24 hours later.
During his speech, the president said that he did not believe Congress would have to act, despite him invoking a provision of the law that would allow him to impose the tariffs for 150 days, after which time Congress would have to act to extend them.
“Congressional action will not be necessary,” Trump said. “It’s already time tested and approved, and as time goes by, I believe the tariffs paid by foreign countries will like in the past, substantially replace the modern day stysem of income tax, taking a great financial burden off the people that I love,” Trump said.
Recent analysis by the Tax Foundation found that Trump’s new and remaining tariffs would cost U.S. households $700 this year, after Trump’s tariffs cost households an additional $1,000 in 2025.
