Trump calls Supreme Court tariff ruling “disappointing and unfortunate”

New Delhi, Feb 25: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday described the Supreme Court of the United States ruling against many of his sweeping global tariffs as “disappointing” and “very unfortunate”, though he stopped short of directly criticising the judiciary.

After briefly shaking hands with several of the justices in attendance, four of the nine members of the court were present in the chamber, Trump turned to the contentious issue of trade. Staring in their direction, he said the court’s recent decision striking down key elements of his tariff regime was a setback, but insisted it would not derail his economic agenda.

The Supreme Court ruling has been widely seen as one of the most significant blows to Trump’s second term, curbing his authority to impose broad import taxes. Yet in his remarks, the president framed the decision as merely “a bump in the road”.

“Tariffs will remain in place under fully approved and tested alternative legal statuses,” Trump declared, adding that the levies would “some day fully replace income taxes.”

There was a noticeable silence in the chamber when he first emphasised the word “tariffs”, followed by audible murmurs as he claimed the import taxes were “working well”. He credited them with delivering what he called a “stunning economic turnaround”.

“Even the Democrats know it,” he added.

Following the court’s ruling, Trump signed an executive order imposing a 15% tariff under alternative legal provisions. However, those measures are temporary and will expire in 150 days unless extended by Congress — meaning the president will require legislative backing to sustain his trade strategy. Despite the judicial setback, Trump made clear that his tariff agenda remains central to his economic policy, signalling further battles ahead between the White House, the courts and Capitol Hill.