President Donald Trump encountered a significant setback on Friday, Feb. 20, after the Supreme Court voted 6–3 to invalidate his broad import tariff policy.
Following the ruling, Trump met with governors from across the country during a White House breakfast. Members of the press were asked to leave shortly after the president entered. According to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Trump sharply criticized the decision during the closed-door meeting, calling it a “disgrace” and telling governors he had “a backup plan.”
Speaking later to reporters, Trump described the ruling as “deeply disappointing.”
“I am absolutely ashamed of certain members of the court for not having the courage to do what’s right for our country,” Trump said. He praised the three dissenting justices — Brett Kavanaugh, Samuel Alito, and Clarence Thomas — while condemning the majority opinion. Trump also criticized Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, both of whom he appointed, calling their rulings “an embarrassment.”
Trump further suggested the decision reflected improper influence.
“It’s my opinion that the court has been swayed by foreign interests,” he said.
The president pointed to Justice Kavanaugh’s dissent, which argued that the ruling specifically struck down tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA), rather than eliminating all potential tariff authorities.
“Other alternatives will now be used to replace the ones that the court incorrectly rejected,” Trump said. “I’m going to go in a different direction.”
Trump announced plans to sign a new executive order establishing a global 10% tariff. He also indicated that his administration would launch an investigation aimed at protecting the United States from what he described as unfair trading practices.
Dismissing the prospect of congressional involvement, Trump stated, “I don’t have to. I have a right to do tariffs.”
The tariffs at the center of the case were introduced on April 2, 2025 — a date Trump labeled “Liberation Day” — when he invoked IEEPA to impose duties on imports from more than 100 countries. The policy established a baseline 10% tariff, with higher rates applied to select nations, including steep penalties targeting Chinese goods.
The Supreme Court’s decision nullifies the baseline tariff, along with additional duties tied to drug trafficking measures involving Canada, Mexico, and China, as well as the elevated tariff levels imposed on Chinese imports.
In the majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the president must demonstrate explicit congressional authorization for such sweeping tariff powers.
“The President asserts the extraordinary power to unilaterally impose tariffs of unlimited amount, duration, and scope,” Roberts wrote. “We hold that IEEPA does not authorize the president to impose tariffs.”
Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing in a concurring opinion, acknowledged that the ruling may frustrate advocates of expanded tariffs but emphasized the constitutional role of Congress.
“Most major decisions affecting the rights and responsibilities of the American people … are funneled through the legislative process for a reason,” Gorsuch wrote. “The deliberative nature of the legislative process was the whole point of its design.”
