“I’m Ashamed,” Trump Says After Supreme Court Blocks Tariff Policy

US President Donald Trump has described the Supreme Court’s ruling on his global tariff policy as “deeply disappointing”. Speaking at the White House on Friday after the apex courtdelivered its judgement, Trump said he was “absolutely ashamed” of some of thejustices. “The Supreme Court’s ruling on tariffs is deeplydisappointing, and I’m ashamed of certain members of the court, absolutelyashamed, for not having the courage to do what’s right for our country,” hesaid. The court on Friday ruled that the US president does nothave the constitutional authority to impose sweeping global tariffs on anycountry for any reason, noting that such powers reside with Congress. However, the decision allowed some tariffs on specific goodsfrom certain countries to remain in place — potentially giving theadministration a path to restructure parts of its trade policy. Uncertainty remains over whether US importers will receiverefunds for tariffs already paid. If refunds are approved, the financialimplications for the government could be significant. According to official data, US Customs has collected morethan $130 billion (£96.3 billion) in import duties under the InternationalEmergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Trump has aggressively pursued tariff measures sincereturning to office in January 2025. In April 2025, he announced sweeping global tariffs on allimports into the US, including a 14 percent levy on Nigeria. On January 13, he imposed a 25 percent tariff on any countryconducting business with Iran. He also unveiled plans to introduce an additional 10 percenttariff on goods exported to the US from eight European countries — Denmark,Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, and Great Britain —citing unresolved tensions surrounding Greenland. In October 2025, Trump announced a 100 percent tariff onChinese goods. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World TradeOrganisation (WTO), had warned that the ripple effects of the Trumpadministration’s tariffs represent “the greatest disruption in trade in 80years.” Trump has defended the measures, arguing in April 2025 thatthe tariffs were necessary because “our country and its taxpayers have beenripped off for more than 50 years.” The US President said he will use “other alternatives” toreinstate his tariffs and hinted at potentially implementing trade embargoes onother nations.

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