Trump says he’s ‘absolutely ashamed’ of U.S. Supreme Court justices who issued ‘deeply disappointing’  tariff decision

The Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s far-reaching global tariffs on Friday (February 20, 2026), handing him a stinging loss on an issue crucial to his economic agenda.

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The 6-3 decision centres on tariffs imposed under an emergency powers law, including the sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs he levied on nearly every other country. The high court ruled his use of an emergency powers law to set import duties without Congress was illegal.

Mr. Trump told a news conference he’s “absolutely ashamed” of justices who voted to strike down his tariffs, calling the decision “deeply disappointing.”

His loss before the conservative-majority high court came despite a series of short-term Mr. Trump wins, which have allowed him to move ahead with key aspects of his broad agency.

It’s the first major piece of Mr. Trump’s broad agenda to come squarely before the nation’s highest court, which he helped shape with the appointments of three conservative jurists in his first term.