Trump called justices ‘fools’ and ‘disgrace to the nation’ after their rebuke of his aggressive trade tactic – key US politics stories from 20 February 2026 at a glance
Donald Trump experienced a rare moment in his second term as president Friday: a loss from the nation’s highest court.
The US supreme court declared many of Donald Trump’s tariffs illegal in a sharp rebuke that topples a key pillar of the president’s aggressive economic agenda.
In a 6-3 ruling, the court decided that a 1977 law designed to address national emergencies did not provide the legal justification for most of the Trump administration’s tariffs on countries across the world. It is the first time the court has overruled one of Trump’s second-term policies.
Trump was not happy and, shocking probably no one, lashed out at the justices who ruled against him – including two he appointed in his first term.
