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(WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court on Friday delivered a major blow to President Donald Trump by invalidating most of global tariffs, a cornerstone of his economic policy in his second term.

In a 6-3 decision, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court deemed that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not give Trump the power to unilaterally impose tariffs. 

“We claim no special competence in matters of economics or foreign affairs. We claim only, as we must, the limited role assigned to us by Article III of the Constitution,” Roberts wrote. “Fulfilling that role, we hold that IEEPA does not authorize the President to impose tariffs.”

The Trump administration attempted to justify the tariffs by arguing that IEEPA says the president has the power to regulate “importation,” but Roberts said their read of the law was a stretch. 

“Based on two words separated by 16 others in Section 1702(a)(1)(B) of IEEPA—‘regulate’ and ‘importation’—the President asserts the independent power to impose tariffs on imports from any country, of any product, at any rate, for any amount of time,” Roberts wrote. “Those words cannot bear such weight.”

Roberts said the court was highly skeptical of the claim that Congress had delegated to the president a “birth-right power to tax” though the passage of the 1977 law. Congress, not the president, has the power to impose tariffs and taxes, the majority concluded.

“The Framers did not vest any part of the taxing power in the Executive Branch,” the ruling said. 

Justices Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh and Samuel Alito dissented from the majority, arguing that Trump should have the power to impose tariffs during national emergencies.

“The tariffs at issue here may or may not be wise policy. But as a matter of text, history, and precedent, they are clearly lawful,” Kavanaugh wrote.

Trump had publicly lobbied for months for the court to rule in his favor, including in remarks he delivered on Thursday about in Georgia. Trump, speaking on the economy, said “without tariffs, this country would be in such trouble right now.”

The White House has said it is prepared to present alternative avenues for imposing the tariffs under different legal authorities.

The Supreme Court’s ruling strikes down 70% of Trump’s global tariffs after they have collected more than $142 billion through December, according to the Yale Budget Lab.

While the Supreme Court rejected President Trump’s sweeping tariff power under IEEPA, the tariffs Trump imposed using Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 — such as tariffs on steel and aluminum — remain in place. Trump has also suggested in the past that he might attempt to reframe the tariffs as “licenses,” though such a move would likely be challenged in court. 

Companies ranging from Costco to small businesses have sued the Trump administration to effectively “get in line” for refunds if the court deemed them unconstitutional.

The court’s majority did not explicitly address the issue of refunds or how that process would work.

Kavanaugh noted such in his dissent.

“Refunds of billions of dollars would have significant consequences for the U.S. Treasury. The Court says nothing today about whether, and if so how, the Government should go about returning the billions of dollars that it has collected from importers. But that process is likely to be a ‘mess,’ as was acknowledged at oral argument,” Kavanaugh wrote.

ABC News’ Elizabeth Schulze and Zunaira Zaki contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte have “formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland” and as a result he will not be imposing the tariffs he threatened on European allies who didn’t agree to his takeover efforts.

“Based upon a very productive meeting that I have had with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region,” Trump wrote in a social media post.

“This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations. Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the Tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st,” the president added.

His post did not provide further details on the “framework” for Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark.

Trump continued to be light on specifics during interviews with CNBC and CNN, particularly on whether the U.S. would have ownership of Greenland as he’s demanded.

“Well, we have a concept of a deal. I think it’s going to be very good deal for the United States, also for them, and we’re going to work together on something having to do with the Arctic as a whole, but also Greenland, and it has to do with the security, great security, strong security and other things,” Trump said on CNBC.

When pressed on whether U.S. ownership of Greenland was involved, Trump said he “didn’t want to say yet” and it was “complex.”

On CNN, Trump said the U.S. got “everything we wanted.”

“It’s the ultimate long-term deal, and I think it puts everybody in a really good position, especially as it pertains to security and minerals and everything else,” Trump said.

He also told CNN the deal would be “infinite,” saying: “It’s a deal that’s forever.” 

Earlier Wednesday, while speaking at the world Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump notably ruled out using military force to take control of Greenland.

“We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force where we would be, frankly, unstoppable. But I won’t do that,” Trump said in his remarks.

Still, Trump argued no other country can defend Greenland but the United States and said he wanted “immediate negotiations” on the issue.

“All we’re asking for is to get Greenland, including right, title and ownership, because you need the ownership to defend it. You can’t defend it on a lease. No. 1, legally it’s not defensible that way, totally. And No. 2, psychologically, who the hell wants to defend a license agreement or a lease which is a large piece of ice in the middle of the ocean, where, if there is a war, much of the action will take place on that piece of ice,” Trump said.

As part of his Greenland push, Trump last week announced a new 10% tariff rate against eight European nations would go into effect next month. Those levies would later be increased to 25% until the U.S. is able to purchase Greenland, the president said.

Those threats resulted in European officials on Wednesday suspending a trade agreement with the U.S. worked out last summer.

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(WASHINGTON) — Two very lucky birds won the White House lottery this year — a presidential pardon and a lifetime free from the Thanksgiving dinner table.

Waddle and Gobble, who had their names chosen by the public online, were pardoned by President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump Tuesday in the annual tradition that spares two Thanksgiving turkeys from becoming the centerpiece of a holiday meal.

“See how happy he is,” Trump remarked of Gobble at the ceremony. Waddle was not present at the formal pardoning ceremony.

“Waddle, by the way is missing in action, but that’s OK, we can pretend Waddle is here,” Trump said.

The two birds stayed at the luxurious Willard InterContinental hotel in D.C. ahead of their Rose Garden ceremony, according to the hotel.

The two turkeys are provided to the White House by the National Turkey Federation, who will take Gobble and Waddle back to North Carolina, where they will live under the care of the Prestage Department of Poultry Science at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, per the school.

Trump also took the opportunity to tout his administration’s accomplishments, including the passage of his “one, big beautiful bill,” working to increase safety in cities across the country, and mitigating international conflicts.

He also lambasted some of his political opponents, including former President Joe Biden, who he said had given invalid pardons to last year’s turkeys based off his previous claims that Biden used an autopen to sign pardons.

“The turkeys known as Peach and Blossom last year have been located, and they were on their way to be processed, in other words to be killed, but I stopped that journey and I am officially pardoning them,” Trump said.

Trump also harangued Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer at the ceremony, joking he wanted to name the birds after the two politicians.

“When I first saw their pictures, I thought we should send them, well I shouldn’t say this — I was going to call them Chuck and Nancy, but then I realized I wouldn’t be pardoning them, I would never pardon those two people,” he added.

While American presidents as far back as Abraham Lincoln have pardoned turkeys, the modern tradition did not begin until 1989 during George H.W. Bush’s administration, even though Presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan had both pardoned turkeys during their stays in the White House, according to the White House Historical Association.

“But let me assure you, and this fine tom turkey, that he will not end up on anyone’s dinner table, not this guy — he’s presented a presidential pardon as of right now –and allow him to live out his days on a children’s farm not far from here,” Bush said in 1989, officially launching the yearly custom, according to the WHHA.

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