Trump Supporters Turn on Amy Coney Barrett After Supreme Court Ruling
Supporters of former President Donald Trump have sharply criticized Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett—and, to a lesser extent, Chief Justice John Roberts—following their decision to side with the court’s liberal justices in a ruling against the Trump administration on Wednesday.
Why It Matters
Although the Supreme Court holds a 6-3 conservative majority, both Barrett and Roberts have occasionally aligned with the liberal wing in key decisions, frustrating many in Trump’s base. Their latest ruling has once again sparked outrage among his supporters.
Media has reached out to the Supreme Court for comment.
What Happened
The Supreme Court delivered a major setback to Trump when it ruled that his administration must comply with a lower court’s order to release $2 billion in frozen foreign aid.
The funding had been blocked after Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office, halting the aid as part of his administration’s effort to review government spending for what he and his allies labeled as “waste, fraud, and abuse.”
However, a lawsuit filed by nonprofit organizations challenged the freeze, and a lower court judge ordered the funds to be released. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court upheld that ruling in a 5-4 decision. Barrett and Roberts joined Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson in keeping the lower court’s order intact.
The ruling immediately drew backlash from prominent Trump supporters.
The Reaction
Barrett, in particular, became a target of criticism.
“Disgraceful,” wrote conservative commentator Paul Szypula on X. “Amy Barrett was a bad SCOTUS nominee.”
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and a vocal Trump supporter, responded to the decision with skepticism, writing, “Looking that way.”
Pro-Trump media figure Eric Daugherty posted a photo of Barrett, captioning it: “She’s a big problem.”
Longtime conservative activist Mike Cernovich also weighed in, sharing a clip of Barrett with Trump during a past address to Congress. “She is evil, chosen solely because she checked identity politics boxes,” he claimed. “Another DEI hire. It always ends badly.”
Mike Davis, a former law clerk for Justice Neil Gorsuch and ex-chief nominations counsel for Senator Chuck Grassley, didn’t mention Barrett by name but echoed criticism of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, which Trump has sought to eliminate from federal agencies.
“President Trump will pick even more bold and fearless judges in his second term,” Davis posted on X. “Extreme vetting. No DEI. No missteps.”
The Dissent
The court’s four dissenting conservative justices—Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh—strongly opposed the decision.
Alito, in his dissent, expressed disbelief at the ruling. “Does a single district-court judge who likely lacks jurisdiction have the unchecked power to compel the Government of the United States to pay out (and probably lose forever) billions in taxpayer dollars? The answer to that question should be an emphatic ‘No,’ but a majority of this Court apparently thinks otherwise.”