Trump Calls Justice Jackson ‘Low IQ’ in Tirade

In a recent Truth Social post, former President Donald Trump unleashed a personal attack on U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, labeling the highly accomplished jurist as “low IQ.” This insult comes amidst Trump’s complaints about the Supreme Court’s ruling against his global tariffs, a decision that impacted billions of dollars and consumer prices.

Targeting Black Minds: A Pattern of Racism

Trump’s tirade specifically targeted Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the nation’s highest court, questioning how she “somehow found her way to the bench.” He lamented that the conservative justices, including three he appointed, don’t “stick together” like the liberal justices, singling out Jackson, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan. This isn’t the first time Trump has used the “low IQ” insult against perceived political opponents, many of whom have been Black women, including Reps. Jasmine Crockett and Maxine Waters, and N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James.

Democratic strategist Ameshia Cross highlighted the deeply problematic nature of these attacks, particularly when directed at Black individuals. “There is a specific type of racism and white supremacy that attacks Black minds,” Cross told TheGrio. She explained that historically, such insults tap into racist ideologies used to justify the enslavement of Black people, citing faulty science that claimed Black individuals had smaller brains and limited intellectual capacity.

Jackson’s Courageous Stance Against Trump

Trump’s insult comes just a week after Justice Jackson publicly rebuked the Supreme Court’s conservative majority for frequently siding with the former president’s emergency order requests. Jackson argued that these rulings enabled potentially illegal executive actions. Her critique of the Trump administration, often delivered through forceful dissents, has become a notable aspect of her tenure.

During a recent lecture at Yale Law School, Jackson stated, “The president of the United States, although he may be… harmed in an abstract way by not doing what he wants to do, he certainly isn’t harmed if what he wants to do is illegal, right? He doesn’t have the ability to do something unlawful.” Cross noted that Jackson’s willingness to stand up to Trump, especially in the legal arena, is precisely what provokes such attacks. “He cannot take a rebuke, but he definitely can’t take a rebuke from Black women. There isn’t a singular identity in America that Donald Trump hates more than Black women.”

Attacks on Education and Progress

Cross also pointed out the timing of Trump’s attacks, linking them to broader political strategies. She suggested that by targeting the intelligence of Black women and figures like former President Barack Obama, Trump aims to undermine educational achievements and progress within Black communities. “This is also the guy who is pushing an anti-DEI narrative to strip education from Black people, to limit their access to higher education,” Cross explained. She added that Trump dismisses the accomplishments of Black individuals, attributing them to DEI initiatives rather than intellectual capacity, skill, or hard work, implying they didn’t deserve their positions.