Trump Drops Name For Next Supreme Court Nominee
President Donald J. Trump on Friday floated the possibility of nominating Sen. Ted Cruz to a future seat on the Supreme Court of the United States — even as Cruz has previously indicated he is not seeking such a role.
Speaking at a rally in Corpus Christi, Trump praised the Texas Republican as “an amazing guy” before joking that Cruz would sail through confirmation because members of both parties might secretly want him out of the Senate.
“He’s the only guy I know, he’ll get 100% of the Democrat vote, 100% of the Republican vote. They want to get him out of there. He is such a pain in the ass, but he’s so good and so talented,” Trump quipped.
Cruz said last month he was not interested in a Supreme Court nomination, but Trump’s remarks nonetheless sparked fresh speculation about potential future vacancies.
Supreme Court Ruling on Tariffs
The comments came during a week of high-stakes legal and economic maneuvering.
In a 6–3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that President Trump could not rely on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose sweeping global tariffs. The ruling struck down the legal mechanism used to justify Trump’s prior tariff framework.
Within hours of the decision, however, the president signed a new executive order from the Oval Office imposing a 10 percent global tariff under separate statutory authority, according to Fox News.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) addressed the development on “Fox & Friends Weekend,” arguing that the ruling may ultimately prove politically insignificant.
“My Democratic peeps better be careful what they ask for because if he gives back $300 billion worth of tariff money to the business community in America, this economy’s [going to] roar, man, and the midterms are only a few months off,” Kennedy said. “Stevie Wonder could see this decision coming,”
Kennedy noted that approximately $300 billion in tariff revenue has already been collected under Trump’s trade authority and is now in federal coffers. He also emphasized that the trade agreements negotiated during that period remain intact.
“The president didn’t just sit around admiring that trade authority, that tariff authority, sucking on his teeth,” Kennedy said.
“He used it, and he used it to negotiate trade agreements,” he added.
Tariff revenue reportedly reached $30.4 billion in January alone — a 275 percent increase compared to January 2025.
President Trump declared the nation’s trade deficit a national emergency in 2025 and asserted tariff authority under IEEPA. While the Court curtailed that specific pathway, the administration quickly pivoted to alternative legal grounds.
On Truth Social, Trump announced the updated policy: “It is my Great Honor to have just signed, from the Oval Office, a Global 10% Tariff on all Countries, which will be effective almost immediately,” he wrote. He later raised the global tariff rate to 15 percent.
The White House said tariff revenue could be used to fund domestic initiatives and reduce the national debt — a core priority of Trump’s second-term economic agenda.
Trump Pushes Back
In the days following the ruling, Trump posted multiple messages criticizing the Court’s reasoning but suggested the decision may have inadvertently strengthened his broader executive authority.
He wrote that the justices “accidentally and unknowingly” gave him “far more powers and strength” than before the “internationally divisive” ruling.
“I can use Licenses to do absolutely ‘terrible’ things to foreign countries, especially those countries that have been RIPPING US OFF for many decades, but incomprehensibly, according to the ruling, can’t charge them a License fee — BUT ALL LICENSES CHARGE FEES, why can’t the United States do so?” Trump wrote.
Democrats applauded the Court’s decision, arguing tariffs increase consumer costs. The administration, however, moved swiftly to ensure the broader trade strategy remained in place before markets closed for the week.
For supporters of the president, the episode reinforced a familiar theme: when one legal door closes, the Trump White House finds another way to put American economic interests first.