Joe Scarborough Slams SCOTUS for ‘Allowing’ Trump to ‘Twist’ Tariffs into ‘Political Hammer’

Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough slammed the Supreme Court for “allowing” President Donald Trump to “twist” tariffs into a “political hammer” before demanding that justices “get up off the bench and actually get into the game.”

The remarks came after Trump announced a 10% increase in tariffs on goods imported from Canada, escalating trade tensions after becoming infuriated when Ontario aired an anti-tariff advertisement featuring former President Ronald Reagan.

The U.S. already imposes a 35% levy on Canadian goods, though many are exempt under existing trade agreements, along with sector-specific tariffs of 50% on metals and 25% on automobiles.

Speaking en route to Asia, the president said the additional 10% would apply “over and above what they are paying now.”

After Morning Joe guest and New York Times columnist Mara Gay argued that the volatility caused by tariffs was “hurting Americans” the host added that it was “hurting Americans opinion of the Supreme Court,” which he noted was “historically low.”

Unloading on a variety of Trump administration policies, from tariffs to the president’s East Wing demolition, Scarborough took aim at what he framed as the Supreme Court’s inaction.

The Supreme Court hasn’t stepped in on Donald Trump sending Marines out to Los Angeles, they’re not stepping in with Donald Trump saying ‘Chicago is a dangerous city and all these other places are dangerous cities, we have to send the National Guard out for basically to make them safer cities’ – which is for law enforcement. It’s not to protect courthouses or ICE – you know, that may be the ultimate justification.

Rounding on tariffs and Canada, he added:

You look at tariffs, again, a Ronald Reagan speech that Canada ran that used Reagan’s – I mean, that’s an emergency. Is the Supreme Court really going to shame themselves by saying that? This isn’t even a close call! You look at Brazil! You know, he liked the authoritarian leader in Brazil who got pushed out, they brought charges. So what happens? Donald Trump starts talking about tariffs and jacking up tariffs with Brazil.

This is all deeply, deeply personal. The Supreme Court, by allowing him to do this, is allowing a president of the United States to actually twist tariff powers, take them away from Congress, use them for what he calls emergency purposes, when in fact he’s only using them as his own political hammer to go after people who criticize his policies on tariffs – no emergency there!

And the court, even this Supreme Court, is going to have to, like, get up off the bench and actually get into the game and clear things up.

Watch above via MSNBC.