Trump and the court: If he wins, he’s happy. When he loses, he ridicules justices he appointed

President Donald Trump takes U.S. Supreme Court victories and losses very personally. He frequently expresses admiration when the court rules in favor of his administration, while turning sharply critical when it rules against him. Trump shaped the court with three nominees during his first term and has expressed admiration for those appointments.

However, when the court delivers a defeat, as it did on Monday by rejecting his administration's planned restrictions on mail ballots for the midterm elections, Trump ridicules the justices he appointed. Only Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito fully agreed with the administration's decision. Trump's rebuke also resurfaced his frustration over previous losses in areas such as tariffs and birthright citizenship, where the conservative majority court has checked his power.

Despite technically temporary decisions, the court has allowed Trump's agenda to move forward on issues such as immigration, transgender military service, and the Department of Education. Trump has also been dealt high-profile losses, including the rejection of his proposed restrictions on mail ballots and his bid to fire a Federal Reserve Board member.

He has expressed anger over these losses, stating that they are "not the people I interviewed to serve on the United States Supreme Court."