Donald Trump described as deeply disappointing the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, which struck down the tariffs he imposed last year. He then launched an unprecedented attack on the six justices who voted “no,” while thanking by name the three who voted “yes.”

He also outlined a plan for keeping not only product-specific tariffs in force, but also broad tariffs against all countries.

At a press conference following the Court’s 6–3 ruling that deemed his sweeping tariffs illegal, Trump said the justices are not patriots and called them “Democrats’ stooges.”

The decision, the U.S. president added, brought great joy to foreign countries “that ripped us off for years and are now dancing in the streets.” “I assure you it won’t last long,” he said.

He further claimed that the Supreme Court is “influenced by foreign interests and a political movement much smaller than people think.”

Watch the press conference (after 27:00):
President Trump Delivers Remarks, Feb. 20, 2026

As for his immediate response to the ruling, Trump said he would turn to “other alternatives” to replace the tariffs.

“I don’t need to ask Congress to impose tariffs,” he said, adding that approval has already been given and that all national-security tariffs will take effect immediately.

“As president I can do anything, but I can’t charge a dime to foreign countries (through tariffs),” Trump said, raising his voice.

He also accused Democrats of opposing anything that makes the country great, and attacked the Supreme Court as a whole, saying it is politically correct and obeys Democrats. “The justices are not patriots, they are not faithful to the Constitution, they fear the strong voice of the people,” he added.

The plan for new tariffs

Trump argued that the Court’s decision did not nullify tariffs altogether, but only a specific application of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which the Court said did not grant him the authority he claimed to impose tariffs.

“Today I will sign an executive order imposing a universal 10% tariff on top of the regular tariffs already in place,” he said, explaining the legal provisions on which it is based.

He also returned to a past claim about wars he says he ended, asserting that tariffs put an end to “five of the eight wars” he claims to have settled, “whether you like it or not — including India, Pakistan, the big ones.”

“These tariffs, together with our strong borders, reduced the inflow of fentanyl into our country by 30% when I used them as a penalty against countries sending this poison to our country to poison our youth. All these tariffs remain,” he said.

One issue troubling many U.S. companies concerns refunds, but Trump was categorical that no money will be returned. An estimate by economists at the Penn-Wharton Budget Model puts the cost to the U.S. government at $175 billion.

That point was highlighted by one of the dissenting justices, Brett Kavanaugh, who noted that the amount the government would have to pay is enormous and that the refund process would likely be chaotic.

What Trump had argued

The U.S. president had invoked the IEEPA to impose the tariffs, becoming the first president to use that legal framework for this purpose.

CNN earlier reported that Trump called the tariff decision a “disgrace” and claimed he has an alternative plan.

In addition, NBC reported that when he learned of the decision, Trump was speaking to governors and was handed a note about the ruling; he commented on the outcome and then left the podium.

Photo source: Reuters