Breaking: Supreme Court’s Tariff ruling as ‘Deeply Disappointing’ – Trump

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

US President Donald Trump on Friday criticised the Supreme Court after it struck down many of his sweeping global tariffs, describing the ruling as “deeply disappointing” and signalling he is exploring alternative avenues to reinstate the measures.

Speaking at a White House news conference shortly after the decision, Trump said he was “ashamed of certain members of the court for not having the courage to do what’s right for our country.”

The court had earlier ruled against the president’s use of emergency powers to impose country-wide tariffs, dealing a significant setback to his trade agenda.

At the podium, Trump singled out Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh, who dissented in the 6–3 ruling, thanking them for what he described as their “strength and wisdom.”

“There’s no way anyone can argue against the dissenting opinions,” the president said, before turning his criticism toward the justices who ruled against him, referring to Democrat-appointed members of the court as a “disgrace.”

Notably, two justices nominated by Trump during his first term were part of the majority that rejected his legal argument.

In a sharp escalation of rhetoric, Trump accused the Supreme Court of being “swayed by foreign interests,” though he did not provide evidence to support the claim.

He then pivoted to his 2024 electoral victory, asserting that he won “by millions of votes,” and suggested some justices were reluctant to side with him because of political pressures.

“This was an important case to me,” Trump said, reiterating his long-standing belief that tariffs are central to both economic growth and national security.

Despite the legal setback, the president signalled that his trade policy may not be derailed.

“There are other methods I can use to set tariffs,” Trump told reporters, without specifying which statutory authorities he might invoke.

He defended the economic impact of his tariff regime over the past year, arguing that it had strengthened the US economy.

Citing stock market performance, Trump claimed that the Dow Jones Industrial Average had “broken 50,000” and the S&P 500 had surpassed 70,000 figures he presented as evidence of economic resilience under his leadership.

The president also dismissed criticism from Nobel Prize-winning economists who had questioned the feasibility of his trade strategy.

“They said you couldn’t do it in four years,” Trump said. “Well, we did it in one year.”

PM NEWS reports that the Supreme Court’s ruling curtails the president’s ability to impose broad-based tariffs under emergency powers but leaves other trade tools intact.

It remains unclear which alternative mechanisms the administration may pursue or whether Congress will become more directly involved in authorising new tariff measures.