Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump Tariffs, President Vows New Measures

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday rejected President Donald Trump's entire system of global tariffs in a 6-3 ruling, finding that the unilateral imposition of import duties was unconstitutional as the power to levy taxes belongs to Congress. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the Founding Fathers did not grant any taxing authority to the executive branch. Trump reacted vehemently, calling some justices "traitors" and "swimming dogs." However, he immediately declared he would impose a 10% global tariff under a different statute. The U.S. Treasury had collected over 133 billion USD in import duties under emergency law prior to this ruling.

This is the biggest legal blow Trump has received since his re-election — and his reaction shows he doesn't consider it the end. First, let's understand the nature of the ruling correctly. The Supreme Court did not say Trump was wrong on trade policy. The 6-3 majority simply stated: this is the job of Congress, not the President. The IEEPA — International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 — does not grant the power to impose import duties. No president has dared to interpret it that way. Roberts was blunt: no precedent means no power. But Trump is not sitting still. He immediately turned to other trade laws — Section 232, Section 201, or bilateral mechanisms. These laws allow for tariffs but have limits on speed, scale, and duration. He said he would "charge more than before" — and he's probably not lying. Economically, the hottest question right now is: will the 133 billion USD in collected tariffs be refunded? Costco and hundreds of other businesses have lined up in lower courts to demand their money back. Justice Kavanaugh, in his dissenting opinion, frankly admitted that this process would be a "mess." With an estimated 3 trillion USD impact over a decade, this is a huge budgetary issue — not just a legal problem. Trump's reaction to the court is noteworthy in its own way. He appointed three of the nine current justices. Yet, when they voted against him, he immediately questioned "foreign influence" — without any accompanying evidence. This is an alarming escalation:

Vietnamese American business owners importing goods into the U.S. — especially those importing furniture, apparel, and seafood from Vietnam — will closely monitor Trump's new tariff moves. The Vietnamese American business community in states like California and Texas has already faced increased import costs throughout 2025; this ruling opens up the possibility of tariff refunds, but the legal process could take many years.