Trumpism is in crisis.
A mass movement in Minneapolis has repudiated his anti-immigrant policies, a key pillar of his administration. This forced him to retreat in Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis amid mass rejection of his policies against undocumented people. The Epstein files have further exposed the rot at the core of Trump and his circle. And now, a significant blow has landed against another cornerstone of Trumpism: tariffs.
In a 6-3 decision, a conservative Supreme Court struck down this centerpiece of Trump’s economic policy, tariffs higher than any seen since 1930. Trump responded with fury, staging what can only be described as a temper tantrum of a press conference, and announcing a new global 10 percent tariff rate and on Saturday, raising to 15 percent.
But Trump’s bluster should not be mistaken for strength. While tariffs may continue in one form or another, the Court’s decision highlights the deepening crisis of Trumpism and opens new possibilities to organize growing discontent as class struggle from below.
Tariffs as a Political Cudgel
Tariffs have been central to Trump’s economic program. His broader fiscal policy has combined tax cuts for the wealthy with massive increases in military and Homeland Security spending, ballooning the national debt through the “Big Beautiful Bill.” Tariff revenue was meant, at least partially, to offset these costs.
But tariffs were never just a revenue stream. They formed the backbone of a neo-mercantilist economic strategy that treats trade deficits as weakness and seeks to rebuild U.S. industry not through incentives, but through coercion — the tariff stick rather than the carrot. Tariffs have played a central role in unraveling the neoliberal global order, straining relations with traditional allies and destabilizing the dollar.
They have also functioned as a political cudgel. Trump threatened no tariffs on Argentina if far-right leader Javier Milei won the election, but tariffs on Brazil over the prosecution of his ally, former president Jair Bolsonaro. These measures became pillar of Trump’s imperialist agenda in times of decay — a tool to reward friendly governments and individual businesses while punishing opponents. They can be be used for thinly veiled corruption in big and small cases, as when Trump granted tariff exemptions to businesses involved in constructing a new White House ballroom.
In short, Trump’s tariffs have operated both as weapons of U.S. imperialism and as mechanisms to funnel wealth towards Trump’s wealthy political allies.
Historically, tariffs were levied by Congress, which holds constitutional authority over taxation. Trump argued that he could impose tariffs through executive power under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which allows the president to “regulate … importation” during national emergencies.
The Supreme Court overwhelmingly rejected this argument. Even two of Trump’s own nominees, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, sided against him.
Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts emphasized that tariffs are taxes, and taxation is the purview of Congress. Roberts rejected the administration’s reading of IEEPA, writing that the president could not claim sweeping tariff authority “based on two words separated by 16 others.”
Trump’s Temper Tantrum
This is the most significant judicial rebuke of Trump’s second term. The Supreme Court has frequently sided with him, granting emergency requests, expanding presidential immunity after January 6, and supporting other major elements of his agenda. That it ruled against him here underscores both the extraordinary nature of his power grab and the shifting political winds amid a slowing economy, the Epstein revelations, and mounting opposition to his immigration policies.
Hours after the ruling, Trump held a press conference that was bizarre even by his standards. He lambasted the Court and suggested the court was influenced by foreign powers. He called Gorsuch and Barrett’s votes “an embarrassment to their families,” and said he was “ashamed of certain members of the court.”
Trump leaned heavily on Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s dissent, which argued that in foreign affairs, Congress often grants broad discretion to the president. Paradoxically, Trump claimed the decision provided “certainty,” insisting that the administration could now move forward on firmer footing. “We waited months and that gave uncertainty. Now we have certainty,” he said, attempting to spin a clear defeat as a victory.
Tariffs are unlikely to disappear. He quickly announced a new 10 percent — and on Sunday, 15 percent — across-the-board tariff under a separate statute that allows temporary levies of up to 150 days. He also pledged to launch investigations into other countries’ alleged unfair trade practices, another pathway to impose new tariffs.
In addition to Trump’s policy maneuvers, he used the press conference to threaten countries around the world. “I can destroy the trade. I can destroy the country,” he warned — a stark expression of how he views tariffs as weapons for U.S. imperialism. At the same time, he indicated the limits the Supreme Court attempted to set, highlighting that he can destroy a foreign country but cannot charge $1 in tariffs. Listening to it, it sounded like he was threatening foreign countries.
He repeated familiar promises about reviving U.S. manufacturing, claiming factories are already under construction and will soon deliver results. In reality, there is no sustained industrial surge; the factories have not come back. And while data centers and isolated projects are underway, many face water and other resource constraints, underscoring the limits of the strategy. Further, some industries have been hard hit by the chaos created by none other than Trump’s tariffs.
Defeat at the Courts Won’t Stop U.S. Imperialism
As Carsten Brzeski of ING Research noted, “The Supreme Court ruled on constitutional limits, not trade policy. Trump’s tariff agenda survives with new legal foundations and a messy transition period.”
That messy transition raises serious questions. If the tariffs are unconstitutional taxes, consumers and businesses may be entitled to refunds. Some Democrats are already pressing the issue. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker called for $1,700 refund checks to households, and Pete Buttigieg echoed the demand. More than 1,000 businesses had reportedly sought tariff refunds even before the ruling, a number likely to grow.
Regardless of the policy details, the broader political meaning is clear: Trump is losing key pillars of support. But that will not tame either Trump or U.S. imperialism. Instead, Trump is, in his characteristic bluster, escalating in some spheres in order to cover up a defeat. After a “victory” for his administration in Venezuela, Trump is trying to strangle Cuba and deepen the island’s political and humanitarian crisis to force regime change. He has also moved naval forces toward Iran, raising the danger of intervention and broader imperialist escalation.
This Supreme Court decision will not stop Trump’s imperialist polices. His willingness to devastate other countries through economic warfare or military force must be met with firm and organized opposition by workers, students, unions and social movements.
With midterms approaching, Democrats are attempting to capitalize on Trump’s unpopularity. Polls show broad opposition to the tariffs and widespread concern about economic instability, and the president’s approval ratings remain deeply negative. He is weaker than ever due to the spectacular struggle put forward by the Minneapolis working class.
Meanwhile, instead of radicalizing the struggle, the Democrats and the union bureaucracy want to keep Trump in power because they don’t want him to be swiped by class struggle. After all, unleashing the activity of the working class would hurt the Democrats, who want to protect the bipartisan regime from class struggle.
Trump is a symptom of a capitalist system in crisis and of a declining U.S. hegemony reaching for new weapons in its struggle to maintain wealth and dominance, including a use of tariffs with the threat of ruining other countries. His promises to support the U.S. working class have been proven over and over to be a lie.
This Supreme Court ruling does not end Trumpism, or tariffs (at least for now). But it marks another crack in its foundation, and creates new openings for struggle from below that can provide an alternative for the way forward from a perspective of working-class solidarity.
The post The Supreme Court Strikes Down Tariffs, Showing Trumpism in Crisis appeared first on Left Voice.
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