***Update:
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump paid a price for going it alone on tariffs — with the Supreme Court on Friday delivering a rare rebuke by ruling he lacked the power to declare an economic emergency and launch sweeping new taxes on imports.
Trump had made tariffs the bedrock of his economic pitch to voters going into the midterm elections, even describing tariffs as his “favorite word in the dictionary.” He promised that factories would relocate from overseas and bring jobs with them, and he warned that losing the tariffs could plunge the U.S. into a deep recession.
But Friday’s ruling will most likely prolong political and economic chaos over international trade through the election year.
Trump called the decision “a disgrace” when he was told of the news during a private meeting with several governors, according to a person with direct knowledge of the president's reaction who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Republican strategist Doug Heye said it was immediately clear that the president “is not going to be happy" about the decision.
“We’re starting to hear about how this is a massive blow, a massive repudiation," he said.
However, Heye said Trump will try to find another way to pursue his trade agenda.
“Are they going to be able to figure out how to use this as an opportunity or not?" he asked. "There are too many questions.”
The White House plans to use alternative laws to preserve his tariffs, but those policies will only prolong the debate and keep alive an issue that is largely unpopular with voters.
The Supreme Court has struck down President Donald Trump’s far-reaching global tariffs, handing him a significant loss on an issue crucial to his economic agenda.
The decision on Friday centers on tariffs imposed under an emergency powers law, including the sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs he levied on nearly every other country.
It’s the first major piece of Trump’s broad agenda to come squarely before the nation’s highest court, which he helped shape with the appointments of three conservative jurists in his first term.
The Republican president has been vocal about the case, calling it one of the most important in U.S. history and saying a ruling against him would be an economic body blow to the country.
But legal opposition crossed the political spectrum, including libertarian and pro-business groups that are typically aligned with the GOP. Polling has found tariffs aren’t broadly popular with the public, amid wider voter concern about affordability.
House Democrats’ Super PAC vows to continue campaigning on Trump’s tariffs despite court decision
“The Supreme Court’s decision clarifies the law, but it doesn’t rewrite history,” House Majority PAC, one of the main political action committees backing House Democratic candidates, said in a statement.
“Vulnerable House Republicans repeatedly voted to enable Trump’s tariffs, which raised prices and wreaked economic havoc on American families and businesses. Their constituents have paid the price, and House Majority PAC will ensure Republicans are held accountable for their votes come November,” the organization said in a statement.
Democratic senator files resolution intended to limit Trump’s ability to attack Iran
Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia says he is filing a war powers resolution that would require Trump to get congressional approval before launching an attack on Iran.
Kaine’s move is intended to build political opposition to an attack as the president has threatened war if negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program don’t work.
The war powers resolution has practically no chance of becoming law, in part because Trump himself would have to sign it, but a bipartisan group of senators has already forced votes on several resolutions that apply to Venezuela.
None of those resolutions passed, but they were successful in showing how lawmakers are troubled by some of Trump’s aggressive foreign policy maneuvers.
Kaine will be able to force a vote on the resolution in 10 days.
“If some of my colleagues support war, then they should have the guts to vote for the war, and to be held accountable by their constituents, rather than hiding under their desks,” he said in a statement.