President Donald J. Trump delivered a blistering response from the White House Briefing Room on Friday, labeling the Supreme Court’s 6–3 decision to strike down his global tariffs a “disgrace” and “unpatriotic.” While the high court ruled that the administration overstepped its authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the President insisted the decision inadvertently gave him a “clearer” path to impose even steeper trade penalties.
The ruling in Trump v. V.O.S. Selections, Inc. saw Chief Justice John Roberts join Justices Gorsuch, Barrett, and the court’s three liberals to affirm that the power to levy taxes and duties rests solely with Congress. The Court found that IEEPA does not grant the executive branch a blank check to set tariff rates, even under a declared national emergency.
President Trump, however, was defiant, praising the dissenting opinions of Justices Thomas, Alito, and Kavanaugh while suggesting the majority had been “swayed by foreign interests.”
“I’m ashamed of certain members of the Court. Absolutely ashamed,” Trump told reporters. “Foreign countries that have been ripping us off for years? Ecstatic. They’re dancing in the streets, but they won’t be dancing for long.”
The President argued that the Court’s logic was “ridiculous,” pointing out that while the justices ruled he cannot charge a “fee” or a “dollar” under IEEPA, they confirmed his power to embargo or block trade entirely.
“I am allowed to cut off any and all trade or business with that same country. In other words, I can destroy the trade… but I can’t charge them a little fee,” Trump said. “It’s incorrect, their decision is incorrect, but it doesn’t matter because we have very powerful alternatives.”
Citing Justice Kavanaugh’s dissent, Trump claimed the ruling identifies other federal statutes—such as the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and the Trade Act of 1974—that provide “even stronger” authority to tax imports. Effective immediately, the President announced he would sign an order to impose a 10 percent global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, moving away from the contested IEEPA authority.
The legal victory for the plaintiffs, led by the Liberty Justice Center, had initially signaled a return of constitutional “separation of powers.” Jeffrey M. Schwab, Senior Counsel for the Liberty Justice Center, celebrated the ruling, stating: “Federal courts at every level have now recognized that these tariffs, imposed without Congressional authorization, are unlawful and cannot stand.”
Schwab added that the firm is now focused on helping small businesses navigate the refund process for the billions already collected. Victor Owen Schwartz, founder of V.O.S. Selections, described the past year as “chaos,” noting that the “arbitrary” duties had threatened the survival of thousands of American companies.
Despite the Court’s rebuke, President Trump maintained that his trade strategy has been a historic success, crediting tariffs with breaking stock market records and settling international conflicts. He signaled that his new approach would be “stronger than our original choice,” promising that the revenue coming into the federal treasury would only increase.
“The Supreme Court did not overrule tariffs. They merely overruled a particular use of IEEPA tariffs,” Trump concluded. “We’re going forward. We will take in more money and there will no longer be doubt.”
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READ: Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul Says Supreme Court Ruling Is ‘Defense’ Against AOC-Style Emergency Overreach
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