Trump made tariffs the basis of his economic pitch to voters heading into the midterm elections, even describing tariffs as his “favorite word in the dictionary.” He promised that factories would relocate from abroad and bring jobs with them, and he warned that the loss of tariffs could plunge the US into a deeper recession.
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On 20 February 2026, 10:14 PM IST
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But Friday’s ruling will likely prolong the political and economic chaos over international trade during an election year.
According to a person with direct knowledge of the president’s reaction, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Trump called the decision “insulting” when told of the news during a private meeting with several governors.
Republican strategist Doug Hay said it was immediately clear the president was “not going to be happy” about the decision.
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“We’re starting to hear how this is a huge blow, a huge rebuttal,” he said.
However, Haye said Trump would try to find another way to pursue his trade agenda.
“Will they be able to figure out how to use this as an opportunity or not?” he asked. “There are so many questions.”
The White House plans to use alternative legislation to preserve its tariffs, but those policies will only prolong the debate and keep alive an issue that is largely unpopular with voters.
Six in 10 Americans said Trump has gone too far in imposing new tariffs on other countries in an AP-NORC poll since January.
More troubling for a president elected on a promise to address Americans’ concerns about affordability, 76% of people in a poll conducted last April said Trump’s tariff policies would increase the cost of consumer goods in the US.
Democrats quickly seized the opportunity presented to them by the Supreme Court, with Rep. Suzanne Delben, D-Wash., said Trump is “not the king” and that his “tariffs were always illegal.”
“Republicans in Congress could have easily ended this economic crisis by standing up for their communities,” said DelBen, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Instead, they chose to bend the knee to Trump while families, small businesses and farmers suffer from higher prices.”
The ruling essentially allows Democrats to say that Trump broke the law and that middle-class families suffered as a result.
But Trump claims his tariffs are the difference between national prosperity and deep poverty, which he made Thursday night for voters in the swing state of Georgia.
The president used the word “tariff” 28 times in his speech Thursday at Cosa Steel, a Georgia steel company that credited the import tax with making its products more competitive with goods from China.
“Without tariffs, this country would be in such trouble right now,” Trump charged.
Trump also complained that he had to justify his use of tariffs to the Supreme Court.
“I have to wait for this decision. I’ve been waiting forever, forever, and the language is clear that I have the right to do that as president,” he said. “I have the right to put tariffs for national security purposes, on countries that have been ripping us off for years.” By a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court said no.
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