WASHINGTON
Few things have defined Donald Trump’s second term like tariffs. He has wielded them as both weapon and symbol, raising and lowering duties at will, rewriting global commerce, and daring anyone to stop him.
On Friday, someone did.
The Supreme Court struck down Trump’s sweeping global tariffs in a 6-3 ruling, marking a rare limit on a president who has spent more than a year aggressively expanding his own power.
The decision dismantled his signature economic policy and punctured the aura of invincibility around his trade agenda.
Trump refused to accept defeat. Hours later, he vowed to use other laws to impose alternative tariffs, claiming the ruling would bring “great certainty” to the economy.
But Friday opened a new chapter of uncertainty. Urgent questions remain: Will his replacement tariffs survive? And will companies ever see refunds for the estimated $175 billion in import taxes the court just invalidated?
The answers will likely prolong trade chaos through the midterms.
For now, Trump chose a familiar response: scorning the patriotism of those who defied him, even as the court made clear that no president is above the law.
By James Kisoo
