After the Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs, the president clapped back with threats to order full economic embargoes that he claims could destroy other nations on Friday.
“This must have been done to protect those other countries, certainly not the United States of America, which they should be interested in protecting. That’s what they’re supposed to be protecting,” Trump said at a White House press conference, first addressing the justices’ 6-3 decision.
Because the court didn’t go along with his requests, Trump shared that he could instead retaliate with “country-destroying” embargoes and other alternatives.
“I am allowed to cut off any and all trade or business with that same country. In other words, I can destroy the trade,” Trump stated. “I can destroy the country. I’m even allowed to impose a foreign, country-destroying embargo. I can embargo.”
“I can do anything I want, but I can’t charge $1 because that’s not what it says, and that’s not the way it even reads. I can do anything I want to do to them, but I can’t charge any money,” he continued. “So I’m allowed to destroy the country, but I can’t charge them a little fee.”
The president went on to claim that countries have been ripping off the States for years while slamming the court’s decision as a “disgrace” to the U.S. “[Other countries] are so happy, and they’re dancing in the streets, but they won’t be dancing for long, I can assure you,” Trump said. “The Democrats on the court are thrilled, but they will automatically vote no. They’re an automatic no, just like in Congress they’re an automatic no. They’re against anything that makes America strong, healthy and great again. They also are a disgrace to our nation, those justices.”
The court ruled in a 6-3 opinion that tariffs passed under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act would be “a transformative expansion of the President’s authority over tariff policy” against the explicit restrictions laid out by Congress in bills. The law gives the president power to regulate several economic transactions if they declare the country is in a “national emergency.”
The court’s decision reflects a rare rebuke of Trump’s power from the nation’s highest judicial body after months of legal wins. It also introduces a new period of uncertainty as the U.S. may be on the hook for billions of dollars in refunds to companies that paid the tariff rates throughout 2025. However, Trump insisted his tariffs will remain in place while promising to sign new ones into existence as well.
“Effective immediately, all National Security tariffs under Section 232, and existing Section 301 tariffs — they’re existing, they’re there — remain in place, fully in place, and in full force,” he said. “In effect today, I will sign an order to impose a 10% global tariff under Section 22 over and above our normal tariffs already being charged. And we’re also initiating several Section 301 and other investigations to protect our country from unfair trading practices of other countries and companies.”
Trump cited an authority under the 1977 act to impose his reciprocal tariffs last year, which he said would reduce the U.S. trade deficit and increase U.S.-based manufacturing. He has also used the duties as bargaining chips in trade deals, negotiating with countries to lower their tariff rates while threatening other countries with higher rates if they did not bend to his policy proposals.
