Donald Trump called the US Supreme Court ruling on his sweeping tariff regime a “disgrace” and said he had a “backup plan”, Reuters reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. He reportedly looked visibly frustrated when he received the news of the Supreme Court’s decision.
The US Supreme Court on Friday struck down President Donald Trump’s tariffs in a 6-3 decision by Chief Justice John Roberts. The court upheld a lower court’s ruling that the Republican president had used the 1977 law beyond his authority.
Chief Justice John Roberts delivered the court’s opinion. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh dissented.
Trump was speaking at a gathering of state governors at the White House when an aide handed him a note informing him of the Supreme Court decision, two sources told Reuters.
What did the US Supreme Court say?
According to a report by The Washington Post, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. president did not have the authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977 to impose sweeping import tariffs on goods from nearly all U.S. trading partners.
You can follow all the latest updates on the US Supreme Court’s customs decision here
Trump has imposed blanket tariffs on almost all of America’s trading partners – citing the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
Hearing the matter on Friday, February 20, the majority of justices agreed that the Constitution “very clearly” grants Congress the power to impose taxes, including tariffs. “The Framers vested no part of the taxing power in the executive branch,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote.
The White House did not comment on today’s decision.
What Trump said about the “game two” plan.
After the Supreme Court heard the case last November, Trump said he would consider alternatives if the high court ruled against him on the tariffs. He told reporters at the time that the US would have to “develop a ‘game two’ plan.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other administration officials echoed the same sentiment, saying the United States would use additional legal reasoning to keep as many of Trump’s tariffs in place as possible.
These include provisions that authorize tariffs on imported goods that threaten U.S. national security and other provisions that allow for retaliation, including tariffs against trading partners that the Office of the U.S. Trade Commissioner has determined have used unfair trade practices against U.S. exporters, Reuters previously reported.