'Keep calm and tariff on': White House's response after Supreme Court strikes down Trump’s reciprocal tariffs

Trump accused the conservative-dominated court of being "swayed by foreign interests" and said he was "absolutely ashamed" of certain justices.

• US Supreme Court limits Trump's use of IEEPA for global tariffs
• Trump pledges 10% global tariff via Trade Act Section 122
• White House signals continued pursuit of tariffs via other laws

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Hours after the Supreme Court of the U.S. overturned President Donald Trump’s sweeping reciprocal tariffs, the White House responded with a show of defiance on social media.

Taking to microblogging site X, in the wee hours of Saturday, following the legal setback to the Trump administration, the White House wrote, "Keep calm and tariff on," shortly after the president lashed out at the court.

Keep calm. pic.twitter.com/Mj5ptXqPxT

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 20, 2026

Addressing reporters soon after the ruling, Trump said the court had not overruled tariffs altogether but had only limited his use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). "The Supreme Court didn’t overrule tariffs; they merely overruled a particular use of IEEPA tariffs," he said, adding that "other alternatives will now be used to replace the ones that the court incorrectly rejected".

The Supreme Court held that IEEPA, a law meant for national emergencies, does not authorise the president to impose broad-based global tariffs. The ruling marks a setback to Trump’s strategy of using emergency powers to levy punitive duties on multiple countries.

Moving quickly, Trump announced he would sign an executive order to impose an additional 10% global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, over and above existing duties. The new tariff, he said, would take effect in three days.

He also maintained that sector-specific tariffs imposed under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, covering imports such as steel and aluminium, as well as measures under Section 301 of the Trade Act, would remain in force. Several ongoing probes could lead to further sectoral tariffs, he added.

Trump accused the conservative-dominated court of being "swayed by foreign interests" and said he was "absolutely ashamed" of certain justices. He claimed the ruling left him "more powerful", arguing that alternative statutory routes could generate even higher revenues than his earlier tariff regime. On the possibility of refunds, he said the issue had not been discussed and predicted prolonged litigation.

On India, Trump said the ruling would not change the trade arrangements, describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "a gentleman" while reiterating his criticism of past tariff imbalances.

The court’s decision deals a significant blow to Trump’s aggressive trade agenda, even as the administration signals it will press ahead with fresh tariff measures through other legal channels.