Supreme Court Delivers Major Blow to Trump’s Tariff Powers

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Trump's signature economic policy in a 6-3 ruling that limits his authority to impose sweeping tariffs. Delaware Governor Matt Meyer witnessed Trump's angry reaction at the White House, where the president called himself "seething" about the decision.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a significant blow to President Donald Trump’s authority on Friday, striking down his administration’s cornerstone economic strategy in a decision that has reshaped the political landscape in Washington.

The high court’s ruling represents a rare public rejection of the Republican president’s policies, marking what many consider the most substantial legal defeat of his current term. The decision has injected new uncertainty into an already volatile political environment ahead of upcoming midterm elections.

Delaware Governor Matt Meyer, a Democrat, witnessed Trump’s immediate response to the news during a White House meeting with governors. According to Meyer, who was present in the room, Trump expressed that he was “seething” and declared he needed to take action regarding the courts.

Trump’s public response was equally intense. During a press conference with reporters, the president launched harsh criticism against the justices who voted against him, including two he had personally nominated to the bench. He branded them as weak, disgraceful, and an “embarrassment to their families,” while dismissing what he characterized as flawed reasoning by the majority.

Chris Borick, who teaches political science at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania and works as a pollster, emphasized the significance of the defeat. “For someone who never admits losing,” Borick observed, “this is a pretty significant loss.”

The ruling specifically targeted Trump’s extensive use of tariffs, a policy tool that has become central to his second-term agenda. The president has frequently described tariffs not merely as border taxes on imported goods, but as “my favorite word” and “the most beautiful word in the dictionary” during rallies with supporters.

Throughout his presidency, Trump has employed tariff threats as a negotiating weapon across numerous policy areas, from securing soybean purchase agreements to attracting foreign investment commitments, combating drug trafficking, intervening in global disputes, influencing prescription medication costs, and supporting preferred American industries.

Despite Congress holding constitutional responsibility for taxation matters, the Republican-led legislature has largely remained passive while Trump expanded his tariff authority.

The Supreme Court, which has frequently supported Trump’s initiatives through immunity rulings and emergency decisions favoring his policies, broke from this pattern with Friday’s 6-3 verdict. Chief Justice John Roberts, a conservative, authored the majority opinion that challenged Trump’s longstanding claim that he possessed unlimited power to implement broad tariffs under national economic security provisions.

Julian E. Zelizer, a presidential historian from Princeton University, characterized the decision as damaging to Trump’s broader governing philosophy. “It is a blow to his expansive vision of emergency powers, which was the pillar for his entire economic agenda and more,” Zelizer explained.

Facing this major setback, Trump responded in his characteristic manner by attacking those who opposed him while simultaneously declaring victory. Speaking under dramatically dimmed lighting in the White House press briefing room, he criticized judges he had previously appointed to their positions.

Trump argued that the ruling actually clarified his extensive authority to implement tariffs or completely halt trade relationships with other nations. He referenced a dissenting Supreme Court opinion suggesting the decision might not significantly limit presidential tariff powers in future cases.

“I can charge much more than I was charging,” Trump declared during the briefing.

“It’s a little more complicated,” he acknowledged. “The process takes a little more time, but the end result is going to get us more money, and I think it’s going to be great.”

When reporters asked whether he would seek congressional authorization for the powers the Supreme Court determined he lacked, Trump remained defiant in his response.

“No, I don’t need to, it’s already been approved,” he stated. “I mean, I would ask Congress and probably get it.”

Trump has utilized the International Emergency Economic Powers Act more extensively than any previous president. However, despite his confident statements during Friday’s briefing, alternative legal mechanisms available for imposing tariffs would require lengthier implementation processes, more comprehensive justifications, and would include expiration dates.

Saikrishna Prakash, a constitutional law expert at the University of Virginia School of Law, assessed the ruling’s impact on presidential authority. “The presidency is definitely weaker” because of this decision, Prakash concluded. “He’s weaker.”