Trump plans to 'scold' justices as Republicans ready for 'awkward' State of Union: analyst

President Donald Trump is expected to boast about his accomplishments Tuesday during his State of the Union address Tuesday, but according to one political analyst the event may turn into an “awkward” affair due to the president’s fury over the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on tariffs.

“It's gonna be a little awkward,” said White House Politico reporter Daniel Lippman during an appearance on Newsmax Monday.

“The Supreme Court justices, most of them will be there, and I remember when President [Barack] Obama was shaming the justices for various rulings and [Justice] John Roberts was not looking very happy. And so I think there's going to be a lot of cameras trained on the justices to see how they react when Trump scolds them.”

On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that Trump had acted outside his authority in imposing tariffs, a decision that sent Trump into rage. He went on to attack the justices that ruled against his tariffs – including two of his own appointees – calling them “unpatriotic” and “disloyal” to the Constitution.

Lippman also predicted another potentially “awkward” dynamic that may play out during Trump’s address.

“And also, how many Republicans applaud when Trump talks about tariffs?” Lippman said. “Do they mostly stay silent on that specific part of the speech?”

While Trump has repeatedly championed his tariff policy, Americans have largely soured on them, with 64% disapproving according to a new Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll. According to a recent study, 96% of all tariff-induced cost increases were paid directly by American consumers.

The unpopularity of Trump’s tariffs hasn’t been lost on Republican members of Congress either, many of whom are up for re-election later this year and have gone on to view them as a political liability.