Trump Slams Supreme Court Ruling That Struck Down Sweeping Tariff Powers

The US Supreme Court has ruled that President Donald Trump's administration lacked the legal authority to impose sweeping tariffs on goods from nearly all trading partners, dealing a major blow to his signature trade policy. Trump called the ruling "deeply disappointing" and expressed shame at certain court members. The decision, which covers trillions in trade and billions in collected levies, is expected to have wide-ranging consequences for global trade, inflation, and household finances. The ruling comes amid ongoing U.S.-India trade negotiations, where a framework for an interim agreement has been announced.

Key Points: Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump Tariffs, Calls Ruling "Disappointing"

  • Court invalidates most Trump tariffs
  • Rules President lacked legal authority
  • Tariffs covered trillions in trade
  • Ruling contrasts with recent Trump court wins
3 min read

US Supreme Court's ruling on tariffs is deeply disappointing: President Trump

US Supreme Court invalidates Trump's sweeping tariffs, a major blow to his trade policy with global economic consequences. Trump expresses deep disappointment.

"The Supreme Court's ruling is deeply disappointing, and I am ashamed of certain members of the court... - Donald Trump"

Washington DC, February 21

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that the Supreme Court's ruling that his administration's sweeping tariffs on goods from nearly all partner countries violated federal law is "deeply disappointing".

The Supreme Court's ruling is deeply disappointing, and I am ashamed of certain members of the court for not having the courage to do what is right for our country...," Trump said at the White House media briefing.

In a major blow to US President Donald Trump's signature trade policy, the US Supreme Court on Friday invalidated most of his sweeping tariff measures, The Washington Post reported.

According to The Post, the US apex court held that the US President did not possess the authority under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose extensive import duties on goods from nearly all US trading partners.

The ruling is expected to have wide-ranging consequences for global trade, businesses, consumers, inflation trends and household finances across the country.

The verdict marks a notable shift from a series of recent wins for Trump at the Supreme Court. Over the past year, the justices had largely sided with the administration in interim orders, allowing policies such as a ban on transgender troops serving in the military, granting the United States DOGE Service access to sensitive data, and enabling significant cuts to the Education Department while legal challenges continued, The Washington Post reported.

The financial implications of the ruling are substantial. The tariffs in question cover trillions of dollars in trade, and the US government collected nearly USD 134 billion in levies through December 14 under the contested authority, The Washington Post reported.

According to estimates by the Tax Foundation, Trump's trade war will cost American households approximately USD 1,100 each in 2025, The Post reported.

The judgement came days after the United States and India announced that they have reached a framework for an Interim Agreement regarding reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade.

The framework reaffirmed the countries' commitment to the broader U.S.-India Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) negotiations, launched by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 13, 2025, which will include additional market access commitments and support more resilient supply chains.

A Joint Statement had said that the Interim Agreement between the United States and India will represent a historic milestone in our countries' partnership, demonstrating a common commitment to reciprocal and balanced trade based on mutual interests and concrete outcomes.

According to the joint statement, India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all U.S. industrial goods and a wide range of U.S. food and agricultural products, including dried distillers' grains (DDGs), red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products.

The United States will apply a reciprocal tariff rate of 18 per cent under Executive Order 14257 of April 2, 2025, as amended, on originating goods of India, including textile and apparel, leather and footwear, plastic and rubber, organic chemicals, home decor, artisanal products, and certain machinery. And, subject to the successful conclusion of the Interim Agreement, will remove the reciprocal tariff on a wide range of goods identified in the Potential Tariff Adjustments for Aligned Partners Annex to Executive Order 14346 of September 5, 2025, as amended, including generic pharmaceuticals, gems and diamonds, and aircraft parts.

US had earlier imposed 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, including a 25 per cent tariff for importing oil from Russia

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priyanka N
The Supreme Court did the right thing by checking executive overreach. No single leader should have unchecked power to disrupt global trade. This is a lesson in institutional strength. While the US-India deal seems promising, we must ensure it truly benefits our farmers and artisans, not just big corporations.
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Aman W
Trump calling the ruling "deeply disappointing" is no surprise. His trade wars created so much uncertainty. As an Indian consumer, I'm more concerned about the 18% reciprocal tariff mentioned. Will that make imported electronics and machinery more expensive for us?
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Sarah B
Watching from abroad, it's fascinating. The US court system works as a balance. For India, the key is the fine print of the interim agreement. Eliminating tariffs on US agri-products could be a double-edged sword for our farmers. Need strong safeguards.
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Vikram M
Good news for global trade stability. Unilateral tariffs hurt everyone. The mention of removing tariffs on generic pharmaceuticals and aircraft parts in the India-US deal is a big positive. Our pharma industry can breathe a little easier. 👍
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Karthik V
With respect, I think the article buries the lede. The US collected $134 BILLION under these tariffs? That's staggering. It shows how much other countries were paying. Hopefully, this ruling and the new framework lead to truly fair and reciprocal trade, not just a shift of the burden.

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