Trump Turned Against His Own Supreme Court After It Destroyed His Tariff Agenda
In February, the US Supreme Court ruled that a 1977 emergency law did not legally justify many tariffs Trump had imposed on countries worldwide — delivering a devastating blow to his entire trade agenda.
The administration scrambled to recover. Trump swiftly imposed 10% tariffs under Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act — but these expire after 150 days in July, leaving his leverage dangerously temporary.
US officials launched a string of trade investigations last week, setting the stage for a potential new wave of permanent tariffs — designed to replace the ones the Supreme Court had already struck down.
Late Sunday night, Trump attacked the court on Truth Social, calling it “completely inept.” He claimed he has the “absolute right” to charge tariffs in another form — a claim the court’s ruling never actually made.
Diplomatic tensions mounted. US-Mexico trade talks were set for Monday. A summit with China’s Xi Jinping planned for late March may be delayed, amid an extraordinarily turbulent year between Washington and Beijing.
Despite the court’s ruling, Trump kept wielding economic threats. He threatened to cut off all trade with Spain after it refused to let jointly operated bases be used for US strikes on Iran.
