President Donald Trump took to social media Tuesday to express his disapproval of the Supreme Court’s decision to reject a last-minute effort to restrict mail-in voting for the current midterm elections. Trump stated that the justices who opposed his administration's push were "not the people I interviewed."
This marks the latest instance of Trump publicly criticizing justices, particularly those he nominated, for ruling against his administration's key initiatives. Previously, he had voiced strong opposition to Supreme Court decisions that challenged his administration's policies on birthright citizenship and his authority to impose tariffs unilaterally.
The Trump administration had urged the U.S. Postal Service to play a significant role in determining who would be eligible to receive a mail-in ballot. However, state election officials argued that there was insufficient time to implement such changes for the Nov. 3 midterm elections, asserting that their existing systems were secure and accurate.
The Supreme Court issued an emergency order late Monday, indicating that restrictions on mail-in voting would likely not succeed in court, at least for this year's election cycle. Trump wrote on social media that the court's "inability and unwillingness to do the right thing for our Country will go down, in a very negative way, in the annals of History." He further claimed the court "is bullied and cajoled by the Radical Left into making decisions that have set America back at least a hundred years."
Justices Sam Alito and Clarence Thomas publicly dissented from the order, and Trump referred to them as "legends both." Trump had nominated three current Supreme Court justices: Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, and Brett Kavanaugh. He expressed that these justices were not the individuals he had interviewed for the Supreme Court, describing them as "merely a shell of their original selves." Trump asserted that the court's "shockingly bad rulings" are costing the United States trillions of dollars and hindering the country's ability to recover.
Trump has a documented history of personally attacking judges whose decisions conflict with his preferences. He has often viewed his judicial appointees as having a loyalty obligation to him as their nominator.
The court, led by Chief Justice John Roberts, has issued rulings favorable to Trump on several occasions. Notably, a 2024 decision by the court's conservative majority granted former presidents presumptive immunity for official acts, which allowed Trump to run for reelection without the immediate threat of a criminal trial from that year.
Trump has consistently opposed mail-in voting, falsely attributing his 2020 election loss to it. A 2025 report by the Brookings Institution found that instances of mail-in voting fraud were exceedingly rare, occurring in approximately four out of every 10 million mail ballots cast.
Mail voting is utilized by roughly one-third of American voters, and voting by mail has already commenced in several states. The Supreme Court's decision allows states to continue using their established mail ballot processes.
Trump also voiced frustration on Tuesday regarding the time it took for the court to issue its decision, stating that his criticism of the Supreme Court, though potentially costly, was an obligation for the sake of the country.