The self-proclaimed “Tariff King” may have to rethink that title, given a series of blows the president was dealt this week.
As the president threw a fit over the Supreme Court’s ruling striking down his signature economic policy, everyday citizens expressed their pleasure with the decision. A new YouGov poll surveying 1,931 U.S. adults found that 60 percent approved of the ruling.
In a 6-3 ruling on Friday, the Supreme Court determined that Trump overstepped his authority by imposing sweeping global tariffs without congressional approval.
Conservative justice Neil Gorsuch, who was appointed by Trump, wrote a concurring opinion stating that legislation should not be determined by a single entity.
“Yes, legislating can be hard and take time,” Gorsuch wrote. “And, yes, it can be tempting to bypass Congress when some pressing problem arises. But the deliberative nature of the legislative process was the whole point of its design. Through that process, the Nation can tap the combined wisdom of the people’s elected representatives, not just that of one faction or man.”
When asked by YouGov if Trump’s tariffs were making their lives more or less expensive, 66 percent said his policies increased prices. In contrast, only 5 percent indicated that costs were lowered, while 16 percent reported no change.
A report this month from JPMorgan Chase found that mid-size U.S. companies have been forced to pass on the costs from Trump’s tariffs onto American consumers.
One of the key issues among voters coming into the midterm elections is affordability. The YouGov poll only compounds growing fears about it. Republicans have struggled with affordability messaging, and the president has repeatedly called the issue a hoax, even during events aimed at addressing cost-of-living and other kitchen-table issues.
A January poll from the New York Times and Siena College found that a majority of Americans feel like access to middle-class markers—such as housing, healthcare, education, and retirement—is shrinking or slipping away entirely. Meanwhile, middle-class Americans report resorting to desperate measures, such as selling plasma, to afford the cost of living.
The SCOTUS ruling predictably provoked Trump’s ire, who threw insults at the bench. He called the justices who ruled against him “lap dogs,” a “disgrace to our nation,” and “disloyal to the Constitution.”
Shortly after the ruling was given, Trump announced his plan to impose a 10 percent global tariff “effective immediately.”
“It is my Great Honor to have just signed, from the Oval Office, a Global 10% Tariff on all Countries, which will be effective almost immediately,” he posted on Truth Social.
