(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.
Erika Kirk, widow of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance embrace on stage during a Turning Point USA event at the Pavilion at Ole Miss at the University of Mississippi, on October 29, 2025 in Oxford, Mississippi. Jonathan Ernst-Pool/Getty Images
(PHOENIX) — Erika Kirk endorsed Vice President JD Vance for president during a Turning Point USA conference in Arizona, vowing to throw one of the most influential conservative organizations in the country behind Vance in 2028.
“We are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible,” she said during her speech on Thursday night at AmericaFest, the first major Turning Point event since her husband’s assassination.
While the endorsement is not a major surprise given Vance’s close relationship with Charlie Kirk, Erika Kirk and Turning Point, it is significant given the group’s prominence on the right.
Turning Point, founded by Charlie Kirk in 2012, played a key role in helping elect President Donald Trump and shaping the modern conservative movement, particularly among younger voters.
Vance has not yet officially said whether he will run in 2028. In an interview last month with Fox News, Vance said he was focused on the vice presidency and the 2026 midterms but would have a conversation with President Trump after next year’s elections about 2028 .
“We’re going to win the midterms, we’re going to do everything that we can to win the midterms, and then after that, I’m going to sit down with the president of the United States and talk to him about it,” Vance said. “But let’s focus on the now.”
In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death, Vance credited the Turning Point founder for his own political rise and for building out President Trump’s second administration.
“So much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organize and convene. He didn’t just help us win in 2024, he helped us staff the entire government,” Vance said in the days after Kirk was fatally shot on Sept. 10 during a campus event at Utah Valley University.
Erika Kirk’s endorsement follows Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying in an interview with Vanity Fair published this week that if the vice president were to run for president in 2028, he would support him.
“If JD Vance runs for president, he’s going to be our nominee, and I’ll be one of the first people to support him,” Rubio told Vanity Fair’s Chris Whipple.
Trump himself has said Vance and Rubio would be “great” options for presidential candidates.
“I’m not sure if anybody would run against those two,” Trump said in late October. “I think if they ever formed a group, it would be unstoppable.”
Roger Penske, chairman and chief executive officer of Penske Corp., second left, speaks during an executive order signing with US President Donald Trump, second right, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. Trump signed an executive order intended to launch an IndyCar race on the streets of Washington as part of a series of America250 celebrations. (Photographer: Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday to hold an IndyCar street race in Washington this summer, as part of his “America 250” push to commemorate the nation’s birthday.
Trump, joined in the Oval Office by auto racing legend Roger Penske, announced the Freedom 250 Grand Prix will be held Aug. 21 through Aug. 23.
“We’re celebrating greatness with American motor racing,” Trump said.
“And I said, pick our best site. It’s very important. Pick the best site. Don’t go for second or third because there are a lot of different routes. I said pick, even if it’s more difficult to get approved, pick the absolute best site,” the president continued.
The U.S. Department of the Interior and Transportation Department will be officially charged with designing a race route along the National Mall, home to iconic monuments, the U.S. Capitol and the White House. The race is free and open to the public and will be broadcast live on FOX, according to the Transportation Department.
“To think, 190 miles an hour down Pennsylvania Avenue, this is going to be wild,” said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
But in order to hold the race, Trump could need congressional approval due to a ban on advertising on Capitol grounds.
Last week, during an interview with the New York Post, Trump said that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was opposed to his racing plans.
“We can’t get Schumer. Schumer is making it very difficult,” Trump told The Post. “What’s wrong with him? Everybody wants to. Schumer doesn’t because he doesn’t want to see advertising near the Capitol,” the president added. “The cars have ads. If you didn’t, they wouldn’t look as good, right? That’s the only reason.”
ABC News has asked Schumer’s office for a response to Trump’s order on Friday and whether he’d work to block the race from occurring.
Still, Trump and Penske touted the upcoming festivities.
“We’re excited. The areas for people to see most of the grounds will be free. So, it’s going to be an economic benefit to the area, to the city,” Penske said. “So, thank you, Mr. President, for allowing us to come into your city.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, told ABC affiliate WJLA she was “thrilled” to welcome the racing event.
“Soon-to-be the home of every major sports franchise, Washington, D.C. is the undisputed Sports Capital,” Bowser said. “But we don’t stop there and work to attract major events. That’s why I am thrilled to welcome the Freedom 250 to the Nation’s Capital this August. The race weekend will rev up the economic engine of DC by filling our hotels and restaurants and by showing visitors, residents and the sports world that there’s no better city, people and backdrop for major sports events. I invite all sports fans to come enjoy the Freedom 250 and all that Washington, DC has to offer.”
In the Oval Office executive order signing, Bud Denker, the president of the Penske Corporation, extended thanks to Bowser.
“She has been a great partner in this process as well too,” Denker said.
President Trump’s announced a number of events to mark the nation’s 250th birthday, including a UFC fight on the South Lawn and the construction of a “Triumphal Arch.”
US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (Photographer: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump previewed a “more relaxed” approach from federal agents operating in Minnesota following two deadly shootings in Minneapolis in recent weeks, during an exclusive interview with ABC News’ Senior Political Correspondent Rachel Scott on Tuesday.
Trump has assigned White House “border czar” Tom Homan to lead the operation in Minnesota following fierce local and national backlash to violent incidents involving federal agents there.
Asked what would change with Homan now in charge, the president said “we can start doing maybe a little bit more relaxed” and “we’d like to finish the job and finish it well, and I think we can do it in a de-escalated form.”
The remarks appear to signal a shift in tone for Trump, who said just months ago that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids “haven’t gone far enough.” Trump and members of his administration had previously criticized both of the protesters who were killed — with the White House describing one as a “‘would-be assassin” — while also expressing sympathy for their families.
Those deaths came amid Operation Metro Surge, which has seen thousands of federal agents arrive in Minneapolis, where they’ve been tasked in part with detaining undocumented immigrants. That ongoing operation has been decried by local leaders, including the governor and mayor.
“Minnesota is a state that believes in the rule of law and in the dignity of all people,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz wrote in an Op-Ed published in the Wall Street Journal earlier this week. “We know that true public safety comes from trust, respect and shared purpose, not from intimidation or political theater.”
In response to a legal challenge from state officials, who are seeking a temporary halt to the operation, a federal judge on Monday ordered the Trump administration to address the motives behind ICE’s immigration enforcement effort in the state. The judge ordered the government to file the supplemental brief by Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET.
The president said conversations with Walz, who he has lambasted repeatedly for his leadership, were going “very well,” before he turned to praise Homan as “a great guy. He’s a different type. He’s a strong guy, but he gets along with people.”
Walz said on Monday he had spoken on the phone with Trump, a conversation the governor characterized as “productive.” Walz said he “told him we need impartial investigations of the Minneapolis shootings involving federal agents, and that we need to reduce the number of federal agents in Minnesota.” He said Trump had “agreed to look into” reducing the number of agents in the state.
Asked to clarify what a de-escalation in Minnesota might look like, Trump said in the interview that he wanted “people to appreciate the fact that we’ve taken thousands of criminals out, and because of that, their crime rate has gone down, which is a great thing.”
“A lot of the hardest work is already done,” he continued. “You know, we’ve taken out thousands of stone-cold criminals, including murderers. And I think that’s what the people of Minnesota want. That’s what the people of the country want. That’s why I got elected.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, has repeatedly said that he and his constituents want the federal agents to leave.
“Minneapolis will continue to cooperate with state and federal law enforcement on real criminal investigations — but we will not participate in unconstitutional arrests of our neighbors or enforce federal immigration law,” Frey said on Monday after a phone call with Trump.
Homan on Tuesday met separately with Walz and with Frey. The mayor said he had “shared with Mr. Homan the serious negative impacts this operation has had on Minneapolis and surrounding communities, as well as the strain it has placed on our local police officers.”
As to when federal agents might leave Minnesota, Trump said, “I don’t know about soon but at some point, when we have all the criminals out, they’re going to leave. It’s a positive thing, not a negative thing.”
Referring to what he called “very bad and dangerous people” in Minnesota, Trump continued, “We know where a lot of them are. And what we’re asking the governor to do is hand over the criminals that they have. It’ll make the job much easier and faster.”
The president also hinted at further federal operations elsewhere. “There will be a time coming in the not too distant future, then we go on to something else,” he said, also claiming successes in ongoing operations in Memphis, Chicago, Louisiana and Washington, D.C.
“We always continue,” Trump said. “I don’t think you can just go cold turkey and go out. I think there’s a continuation.”
“We have a lot of cities and areas that want us very badly,” the president said. “So we’re going to be choosing some new ones. We have a very — we have an unlimited appetite for fixing crime in cities. They seem to be all Democrat-run.”
The president’s focus on what he has called a “migrant crime epidemic” has focused on Democratic-run major cities. Local mayors, governors and other politicians have disputed Trump’s assertion that the deployment of federal agents or the National Guard is necessary to curb supposed criminality there.
Trump dismissed criticism of federal operations in Minneapolis related to Saturday’s deadly shooting of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti, which sparked nationwide protests and demands for a full investigation. Pretti was carrying a pistol in a waist-level holster and was disarmed by federal agents before being shot multiple times.
The National Rifle Association was one of several gun-rights organizations that issued statements appearing to condemn comments made by officials, including Trump, after the shooting. Trump following the second deadly shooting in Minnesota described it as an “unfortunate incident,” but also said, “You can’t have guns. You can’t walk in with guns.” The NRA said it “unequivocally believes that all law-abiding citizens have a right to keep and bear arms anywhere they have a legal right to be.”
Minnesota officials confirmed Pretti had a license to carry a concealed weapon. Video evidence so far has not shown that he drew or reached for his weapon during the altercation with federal agents.
Asked about the backlash from gun-rights groups, Trump said, “Well, I haven’t seen the statements but I think when you have a fully loaded gun and two magazines, that’s not great.”
Trump has championed gun rights for years, including the right of people to protest while carrying weapons. But he also repeatedly criticized Pretti for being armed.
Gun Owners of America, another gun-rights group, responded by saying, “Peaceful protests while armed isn’t radical — it’s American. The First and Second Amendments protect those rights, and they always have.”
Trump also praised Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who is facing calls to resign after the series of violent incidents involving DHS personnel. “I think she’s done a fantastic job, she’s strong,” the president said.
Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Ark., on Tuesday became the first Republican senators to call for Noem to lose her job.
In response, Trump branded both senators “losers.”
“They’re terrible senators. One is gone and the other should be gone,” Trump said in the interview. “What Murkowski says — she’s always against the Republicans anyway. And Tillis decided to drop out. So you know, he lost his voice once he did that.”
Among Trump’s most vociferous Minnesota opponents is Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat who since 2019 has represented a district of Minneapolis. The president has repeatedly criticized Omar publicly.
During a town hall in Minneapolis on Tuesday, a man charged the podium Omar was giving remarks, appeared to squirt a liquid at her and was then tackled to the ground by a security guard after a brief struggle.
The man, identified as 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak, was arrested and booked into Hennepin County Jail on suspicion of third-degree assault, Minneapolis police said.
In his first comments on the attack, Trump told ABC News’ Scott of Omar, “I don’t think about her. I think she’s a fraud. I really don’t think about that.”
And, without providing evidence, Trump went on to accuse Omar of staging the attack, saying, “She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”
Asked if he had seen the video, the president said, “I haven’t seen it. No, no. I hope I don’t have to bother.”
In a post on X regarding Tuesday’s incident, Omar said, “I’m ok. I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work. I don’t let bullies win. Grateful to my incredible constituents who rallied behind me. Minnesota strong.”
ABC News’ John Parkinson contributed to this report.
