President Trump addresses nation following SCOTUS decision on tariffs
In a press conference just hours following the Supreme Court’s ruling that struck down presidential tariff authority under the IEEPA, President Trump delivered his reaction, as well as a clear path forward
by Summer Lane | February 20, 2026
President Donald Trump on Friday addressed the nation following a decision from the Supreme Court that struck down his authority to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
The 6-3 decision from the court was a shock to many supporters of the president’s tariff policies. Justices Thomas, Alito, and Kavanaugh were the lone dissenters.
The president delivered his remarks at the White House, praising the three dissenting justices “for their strength and wisdom and love of country.”
As for the majority’s decision, the president said he was disappointed.
“The Supreme Court’s ruling on tariffs is deeply disappointing, and I’m ashamed of certain members of the court, absolutely ashamed, for not having the courage to do what’s right for our country,” President Trump said.
He continued, “When you read the dissenting opinions, there’s no way that anyone can argue against them… foreign countries that have been ripping us off for years are ecstatic, they’re so happy, and they’re dancing in the streets – but they won’t be dancing for long.”
President Trump’s disapproval of the court’s decision shone through as he slammed the “Democrat” justices for being “fools and lapdogs for the RINOs and the radical left Democrats.”
He also called them “very unpatriotic and disloyal to our Constitution…my opinion [is] that the court has been swayed by foreign interests and political interests that is far smaller than people would ever think.”
But despite President Trump’s frustration with the court, he alluded to a backup plan that has likely been in place since day one. “The good news is that there are methods, practices, statutes, and authorities as recognized by the entire court in this terrible decision and also recognized by Congress, that are even stronger than the IEEPA tariffs,” he stated.
The president said that his tariffs “all remain” and that “other alternatives will now be used to replace the ones that the court incorrectly rejected.”
President Trump pointed to the court’s own recognition of other authorities under various statutes that allow the president to wield extraordinary authority over trade and import regulation.
“The court has given me the unquestioned right to ban all sorts of things coming into our country, to DESTROY foreign countries,” the president said. “…I’m going to go in a different direction…now I’ll go the way I could have gone originally.”
He cited the Trade Act of 1974 and the Tariff Act of 1930, for example.
“In actuality, while I am sure that they did not mean to do so, the Supreme Court’s decision today made the president’s ability to both regulate trade and impose tariffs more powerful and crystal clear,” the president stated. “…The protection of our companies and country will actually increase because of this decision.”
In a strong statement, the president announced that all national security tariffs under Section 232 and Section 301 will “remain in place.”
He explained, “Today, I will sign an order to impose a 10 percent global tariff under Section 122 over and above our normal tariffs already being charged.”
The president said he would do this to ensure that the United States of America is protected “from unfair trading practices of other countries and companies.”
