President Donald Trump made one thing crystal clear in his State of the Union address: America’s trade revival is not going back to the bad old days of getting fleeced by foreign governments, no matter what the courts say. Tariffs took center stage as Trump doubled down on his America First economic agenda after a recent Supreme Court ruling tried to clip his wings.
With four justices watching from the chamber — including Chief Justice John Roberts — Trump called out the decision that struck down his emergency tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
“And then just four days ago, an unfortunate ruling from the United States Supreme Court,” Trump said. “Very unfortunate ruling.”
Translation: nice try.
The court ruled that Trump went too far, claiming Congress — not the president — controls taxes and duties. Roberts wrote that the law did not authorize sweeping emergency tariffs. But Trump was having none of it.
“One of the primary reasons for our country’s stunning economic turnaround, the biggest in history,” Trump said, was tariffs that brought in “hundreds of billions of dollars” and strengthened both the economy and national security.
According to Trump, countries that had been taking advantage of the U.S. for decades are now paying up.
“Countries that were ripping us off for decades are now paying us hundreds of billions of dollars,” he said. “They were ripping us so badly. Everybody knows it.”
Hard to argue with that — unless you’re emotionally invested in outsourcing American jobs.
Tariffs have been a cornerstone of Trump’s strategy to confront China, rebuild manufacturing, and use economic pressure instead of endless apologies. Supporters say the policy narrowed trade imbalances and helped spark a manufacturing rebound. Funny how standing up for yourself works.
Trump also revealed that foreign governments are still eager to stick with the trade deals his administration negotiated.
“The good news is that almost all countries and corporations want to keep the deal that they already made,” he said, adding that new terms “could be far worse for them.”
Negotiating with Trump apparently remains more intimidating than a Supreme Court footnote.
He pledged that tariffs “will remain in place under fully approved and tested alternative legal statutes,” making clear that Congress won’t be needed to keep America protected.
Trump has already announced plans to impose 15% global tariffs under Section 122 of the Trade Act — a different legal route, same America First destination.
Looking ahead, Trump floated an even bigger idea: tariffs could one day replace much of the income tax system.
“As time goes by, I believe the tariffs paid for by foreign countries will, like in the past, substantially replace the modern-day system of income tax,” he said.
So while the court debates fine print, Trump is talking about rewriting the economic playbook. The message from the State of the Union was simple: America will keep winning, workers will keep benefiting, and foreign freeloaders will keep paying. And somehow, that still sounds like a very good deal for the United States.
