President Donald Trump on Monday sharply criticized a recent Supreme Court ruling tied to his administration’s tariff and licensing authority, calling the decision “ridiculous, dumb, and very internationally divisive” in a post on Truth Social. He also claimed the ruling “accidentally and unwittingly” gave him “far more powers and strength” than he had before it.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the Court “accidentally and unwittingly” gave him “far more powers and strength” than he had before the decision. He suggested the ruling opened the door for him to use licenses more aggressively against foreign countries he accused of taking advantage of the United States, while also arguing the opinion, in his view, blocked the government from charging a “license fee.”
“ALL LICENSES CHARGE FEES,” Trump wrote, calling the Court “incompetent” and saying it did “a great job for the wrong people.” He said the ruling, as he interpreted it, left other tariff tools intact and could provide greater legal certainty for using them. Trump praised what he called “the Great Three!” while sharply criticizing the rest of the Court.
Trump also warned the Court could err again in a future dispute involving birthright citizenship and the 14th Amendment.
On Friday, Feb. 20, the Court ruled 6-3 that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize a president to impose sweeping tariffs, striking down the legal basis for a major part of Trump’s trade agenda, according to the Supreme Court. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion.
Later that day, Trump moved under a different law. The White House said he signed a proclamation imposing a temporary 10% import surcharge on most goods, set to begin at 12:01 a.m. Eastern on Feb. 24 and run for 150 days, through July 24 unless Congress changes it.
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