Trump says he regrets appointing Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett to Supreme Court

Former President Donald Trump told TIME in a wide‑ranging interview at the White House on September 28, 2026 that he regrets appointing Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett to the United States Supreme Court.

Trump said the three justices “vote against me too often,” citing the Court’s 5‑4 decision that struck down his birthright‑citizenship executive order and the 6‑3 February ruling that rejected his sweeping emergency tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

In the birthright‑citizenship case, Chief Justice John Roberts authored the majority opinion and Justice Barrett joined the majority alongside Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito issued dissenting opinions.

The February tariff decision, which Trump called “disastrous,” found the agency’s authority lacking; Justice Gorsuch and Justice Barrett voted with the majority, while Justice Kavanaugh dissented. Trump said the ruling would cost the nation “hundreds of billions.”

Trump also referenced a recent Court move that blocked a Postal Service rule intended to prevent ineligible voters from casting ballots; only Justices Alito and Thomas dissented in that case.

Describing the three Democratic‑appointed justices—Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson—Trump said they “virtually never vary” and “stick like glue,” adding that they display loyalty to former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden even though he claimed Biden “doesn’t even know who the hell they are.”

When asked if he wants loyalty from his justices, Trump initially replied, “I do like loyalty, yeah,” but later clarified that he wants “good decisions” for the country, not just loyalty.

The interview, published by TIME on October 1, 2026, marks a rare public admission that the former president regrets his Supreme Court nominations, a move that could reshape political narratives around the Court’s recent decisions.

Trump’s comments arrived as the Court continues to handle cases that could affect immigration policy, trade regulations and election administration, topics that remain central to national debates.