Donald Trump erupted Thursday night after a court blocked most of his tariffs, slamming the decision as a national threat and unleashing fury on Leonard Leo — the man who once helped handpick his judges.
In a fiery Truth Social post, Trump fumed: “Hopefully, the Supreme Court will reverse this horrible, Country threatening decision, QUICKLY and DECISIVELY. Backroom ‘hustlers’ must not be allowed to destroy our Nation!”
The outburst followed a whirlwind legal back-and-forth. A trade court struck down a major chunk of Trump’s tariffs, only for an appeals court to hit pause on that ruling. A separate court ruling also blocks the tariffs — but it won’t kick in for two weeks.
But Trump wasn’t just angry at the courts. He turned his fire on Leonard Leo, the longtime conservative powerbroker who helped build the Federalist Society and shaped Trump’s first-term judicial picks.
“I was new to Washington, and it was suggested that I use The Federalist Society as a recommending source on Judges,” Trump wrote. “I did so, openly and freely, but then realized that they were under the thumb of a real ‘sleazebag’ named Leonard Leo, a bad person who, in his own way, probably hates America, and obviously has his own separate ambitions.”
Leo didn’t fire back. Instead, he offered praise, saying in a statement: “I’m very grateful for President Trump transforming the Federal Courts, and it was a privilege being involved… the Federal Judiciary is better than it’s ever been in modern history, and that will be President Trump’s most important legacy.”
Trump, who reshaped the judiciary during his first term — including nominating three Supreme Court justices — is now openly second-guessing some of the very people he put on the bench. The panel that blocked his tariffs included one of his own nominees, Judge Timothy Reif.
“I am so disappointed in The Federalist Society because of the bad advice they gave me on numerous Judicial Nominations,” Trump wrote. “This is something that cannot be forgotten! With all of that being said, I am very proud of many of our picks, but very disappointed in others.”
Leo, for his part, signaled earlier this year that the next round of judicial selections is still in good hands.
“Both at the White House Counsel’s Office and some at the Department of Justice, these are individuals who are legal conservatives who understand the proper role of the court,” Leo said in March.
Trump is already rolling out new judicial picks. This week’s list includes his former personal criminal defense lawyer, Emil Bove — now being positioned to shape the next phase of Trump’s legal warpath.
