<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/usa" rel="" target="" title="US"><span>US</span></a><span> President </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/donald-trump" rel="" target="" title="Donald Trump"><span>Donald Trump</span></a><span> paid a price for going it alone on </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/tariffs" rel="" target="" title="tariffs"><span>tariffs</span></a><span> — with the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/courts" rel="" target="" title="Supreme Court"><span>Supreme Court</span></a><span> on Friday delivering a rare rebuke by ruling he lacked the power to declare an economic </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/emergencies" rel="" target="" title="emergency"><span>emergency</span></a><span> and launch sweeping new taxes on imports.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Trump had made tariffs the bedrock of his economic pitch to voters going into the midterm elections, even describing tariffs as his "favourite word in the dictionary".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He promised that factories would relocate from overseas and bring jobs with them, and he warned that losing the tariffs could plunge the US into a deep recession.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/andrew-mountbatten-windsor-arrested-donald-trump-reaction/53cace65-7e54-4dad-af47-5afc553a2eec" target="_blank"><strong><span>US President Donald Trump says ex-prince Andrew's arrest 'very, very sad to me'</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But Friday's ruling will most likely prolong political and economic chaos over international trade through the election year.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Trump described the ruling as "deeply disappointing" and "ridiculous," adding that he was "absolutely ashamed" of the six Supreme Court justices who ruled against him, "for not having the courage to do what's right for our country".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"They're just being fools and lap dogs for the RINOs and the radical left Democrats," Trump said of the high court majority in an afternoon press briefing, referring to "Republicans in Name Only."</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/trumps-made-tariffs-central-to-his-presidency-chaos-may-come-next/b7c9670a-9db1-41e4-9629-80bc06eeae29" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"They're very unpatriotic and disloyal to our Constitution."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He vowed to bypass Congress and impose new tariffs on his own under existing law.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Trump learned of the decision after being handed a note during a private meeting with several governors in the morning, according to two people with knowledge of the US president's reaction who spoke on the condition of anonymity.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Another person, who was briefed on the conversation, disclosed that Trump said he has "to do something about these courts".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The meeting with the governors ended shortly after Trump learned of the decision.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Tariffs have been politically unpopular</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Republican strategist Doug Heye said it was immediately clear that the president "is not going to be happy" about the decision.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We're starting to hear about how this is a massive blow, a massive repudiation," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>However, Heye said Trump will try to find another way to pursue his trade agenda.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Are they going to be able to figure out how to use this as an opportunity or not?" he asked.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"There are too many questions."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/white-house" rel="" target="" title="White House"><span>White House</span></a><span> plans to use alternative laws to preserve its tariffs, but those policies will only prolong the debate and keep alive an issue that is largely unpopular with voters.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>About 6 in 10 Americans said Trump had gone too far on imposing new tariffs on other countries, according to an AP-NORC poll from January.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Even more worrisome for a president elected on the promise of fixing Americans' concerns about affordability, 76 per cent said in a poll conducted last April that Trump's tariff policies would increase the cost of consumer goods in the US.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/andrew-mountbatten-windsor-arrested-what-happens-next-explained/9ae0c863-69ce-49c6-aa94-700e060cc516" target="_blank"><strong><span>What happens next after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Trump used tariffs to reshape Republican trade agenda</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Trump's aggressive use of tariffs had left many Republican lawmakers uneasy, publicly and privately, forcing them to defend what were essentially tax increases on the American public and businesses.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>At various points during Trump's second term, at least seven senators from the president's party have voiced their concerns.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Earlier this month, six House Republicans joined with Democrats to vote for a resolution against Trump's tariffs on Canada.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Indeed, free trade had long been a central plank of the Republican Party before Trump's rise to power.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell described Trump's assertion that he can bypass Congress to implement tariffs as "illegal" in a statement praising the Supreme Court's decision.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Congress's role in trade policy, as I have warned repeatedly, is not an inconvenience to avoid," the former top Senate Republican said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"If the executive would like to enact trade policies that impact American producers and consumers, its path forward is crystal clear: convince their representatives under Article 1" of the Constitution.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Former Vice President Mike Pence, who served during Trump's first term, cheered the ruling as a victory for the public, the separation of powers enshrined in the Constitution and free trade.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"American families and American businesses pay American tariffs — not foreign countries," Pence wrote on social media. "With this decision, American families and businesses can breathe a sigh of relief."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Democrats were quick to seize on the opportunity given to them by the Supreme Court, with Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., saying that Trump "is not a king" and his "tariffs were always illegal."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Republicans in Congress could have easily ended this economic crisis by standing up for their communities," said DelBene, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Instead, they chose to bend the knee to Trump while families, small businesses, and farmers suffered from higher prices."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/andrew-mountbatten-windsor-arrested-how-secret-operation-happened/f28c1124-d4b6-49ab-95b7-2520ab3d8750" target="_blank"><strong><span>Inside the secret operation to arrest former prince Andrew</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Tariffs were central to Trump's economic pitch</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The ruling essentially allows Trump's critics to say that he broke the law and that middle-class families suffered as a result.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But Trump has claimed that his tariffs were the difference between national prosperity and deep poverty, a pitch he made on Thursday night to voters in the swing state of Georgia.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The president used the word "tariff" 28 times in his speech Thursday at a Georgia steel company, Coosa Steel, which credited the import taxes as making its products more competitive with goods from China.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Without tariffs, this country would be in such trouble right now," Trump charged.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Trump also complained that he had to justify his use of tariffs to the Supreme Court.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I have to wait for this decision. I've been waiting forever, forever, and the language is clear that I have the right to do it as president," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I have the right to put tariffs on for national security purposes, countries that have been ripping us off for years."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>By a 6-3 vote, the high court said no.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Trump's tariff math didn't add up</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The president has consistently misrepresented his tariffs, claiming, despite evidence to the contrary, that foreign governments would pay them and that the revenues would be sufficient to pay down the national debt and give taxpayers a dividend check.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>New research tied to one of America's leading banks found on Thursday that tariffs paid by midsize US businesses tripled over the course of the past year.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The additional taxes have meant that companies that employ a combined 48 million people in the US — the kinds of businesses that Trump had promised to revive — have had to find ways to absorb the new expense, by passing it along to customers in the form of higher prices, employing fewer workers or accepting lower profits.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Trump's tariffs — not all of which were overturned — were expected to generate $US3 trillion ($4.2 trillion) in revenues over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>That sum is large, but it would be insufficient to cover the costs of the projected deficits.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Supreme Court has not ruled on how any refund process would work.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/six-names-in-epstein-files-redacted--ro-khanna-thomas-massie-usa-news/5dca7843-114e-4188-89da-dbb1f291b6fa" rel="" target="" title="Trump in the unredacted Epstein files 'a million times'"><strong><span>Trump in the unredacted Epstein files 'a million times'</span></strong></a><strong></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>ticking this box here</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Sign up to</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></em></strong></a></li></ul></div></div>