Trump calls tariffs ruling ‘unfortunate’ but says administration is pursuing legal alternatives
As we expected, the president bemoaned the supreme court’s ruling that Trump exceeded his presidential authority by implementing many global tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
“I used these tariffs, took in hundreds of billions of dollars, to make great deals for our country, both economically and on a national security basis, everything was working well,” Trump said. “They were ripping us so badly. You all know that. Everybody knows that, even the Democrats know it.”
The president called the supreme court’s ruling “unfortunate”, as the four justices attending today’s address sat directly in the president’s eyeline.
While Trump falsely claimed the tariffs led to “no inflation” and “tremendous growth”, he said Friday’s decision was “disappointing”.
However, the president went on to tout his new 15% global tariffs under section 122 of the Trade Act. “They’re a little more complex, but they’re actually probably better, leading to a solution that will be even stronger than before,” he said.
Trump incorrectly said that these duties won’t require congressional oversight; however, these tariffs can only last 150 days before Congress has to agree to extend them.
Key events
Closing Summary
Donald Trump delivered a historically long State of the Union address on Tuesday evening in which he made a series of claims about his policy successes, despite his approval rating being at 36%, according to latest polling figures. Here’s a wrap-up of key moments from his speech, as well as reactions:
-
He introduced the US men’s Olympic hockey team at the beginning of his speech, saying: “Here with us tonight is a group of winners who just made the entire nation proud.” The move came shortly after Trump stirred controversy by joking to the men’s team that he “guesses” he would have to invite the women’s team – which also won gold – to the White House as well.
-
Democratic representative Al Green, held up a sign that said “Black people aren’t apes!”, a reference to Trump recently sharing a racist video depiction of Barack and Michelle Obama. Green ultimately left the chamber after being confronted by several Republicans.
-
Trump bemoaned the supreme court’s ruling that he exceeded his presidential authority by implementing many global tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The president called the supreme court’s ruling “unfortunate”, as the four justices attending the address sat right in front of him.
-
The president repeated his xenophobic comments that the “Somali pirates ransacked Minnesota” through “bribery, corruption and lawlessness” during his speech. Democratic representative Ilhan Omar from Minnesota called the president a “liar” from her seat in the audience.
-
More than an hour and a half into his address, Trump mentioned the escalating tensions with Iran. “My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy. But one thing is certain, I will never allow the world’s No 1 sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
-
Trump announced new “ratepayer protection pledges”, claiming they will protect Americans from rising electricity costs driven by increased demand from AI datacenters. “We’re telling the major tech companies that they have the obligation to provide for their own power needs,” he said.
-
Abigail Spanberger, Virginia’s Democratic governor, delivered the party’s response to Trump’s State of the Union address. She went on to admonish the Trump administration for the violent immigration crackdown throughout the country – particularly in Minnesota, and also criticized him for his “reckless trade policies.”
-
Annie Farmer, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s survivors and a guest of the representative Robert Garcia at the State of the Union address, issued a pointed rebuke after Donald Trump’s address, saying she and other survivors in the chamber were “met with silence”. Farmer said Trump had pledged to bring Epstein’s network of abuse into the open, yet “powerful individuals remain shielded” and basic questions – including why authorities failed to act when her sister, Maria Farmer, reported Epstein in 1996 – remain unanswered.
-
Several speakers at the People’s State of the Union rally encouraged Americans to exercise their right to vote, looking ahead to November’s midterm elections. “Voting is our superpower,” one attendee shouted as California senator Adam Schiff explained how voting and elections are under threat.
Fact Check: Trump makes false claims about prescription drug prices
One of Trump’s most prized policies is his “most favored nation” drug pricing with several pharamceutical companies.
The president claimed in his speech: “I took prescription drugs, a very big part of health care, from the highest price in the entire world to the lowest.”
Trump also flaunted his new TrumpRx website where people can obtain discounts for certain medications.
However, as my colleague Melody Schreiber reported earlier this month, Trump’s new website lists only a limited number of medications, with many of them costing less in generic form elsewhere.
Moreover, across the US, healthcare is set to be even more expensive amid the expiration of the Affordable Care Act tax credits, as well as Republican proposals in Congress that seek to slash nearly $1bn in Medicaid funds.
Donald Trump delivered a historically long State of the Union address in which he boasted about a series of successes despite his approval rating being at 36%, according to a new CNN poll.
The poll, conducted just days before his address, also found only 32% of Americans believe that Trump has the right priorities while 68% believe that he has not focused enough on the country’s most important issues.
The latest approval ratings mark a significant decrease from last year when a CNN poll found that Trump had an all-time high of 48% approval before his 2025 State of the Union address.
Among Republicans, strong approval towards Trump dropped from 64% last year to 49% this year.
The CNN poll also found that nearly three in 10 Republicans believe that Trump has not focused on core issues of the country while 16% indicated that his policies will shift the country towards a wrong direction.
Nevertheless, Trump took center stage tonight to make a series of claims about the US’s economic successes, including his false claim that his tariffs have led to “no inflation” and “tremendous growth” across the US.
Fabiola Cineas
Several speakers at the People’s State of the Union rally encouraged Americans to exercise their right to vote, looking ahead to November’s midterm elections.
“Voting is our superpower,” one attendee shouted as California senator Adam Schiff explained how voting and elections are under threat.
“Between now and November, the president will make every effort to discourage Americans from voting. He will make it harder to register and turn out,” Schiff said. “He may send ICE agents to polling places to intimidate our citizens. He will cast doubt on the results when his party loses.” The crowd erupted in cheers when Schiff asked: “Are you ready to throw the bums out in November? Are you ready to defend our democracy?”
Fact check: Trump repeats false claims about ‘rampant’ cheating in US elections
During his address, the president urged lawmakers to pass the Save America Act, the bill that would require proof of citizenship in order to vote. The legislation, which passed 218 to 213, now faces an uphill battle in the Senate.
Trump, along with many of his Republican allies in Congress, have routinely railed against non-citizens voting in US elections, when the actual number of those committing voter fraud is exceedingly small. A reminder that it is already illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal races.
Nevertheless, Trump repeated his common, baseless refrain that “cheating is rampant in our elections” during his speech. According to a recent report by the non-partisan Center for Election Innovation and Research (CEIR), while investigations do reveal instances of noncitizens who have registered to vote or cast a ballot, “such instances are rare, detected by election officials, and prosecuted by the proper authorities”. For example, CEIR noted that Michigan’s department of state audited its voter rolls in early 2025, comparing millions of driver records with the state’s voter file. The review found 16 apparent noncitizens who voted in the 2024 general election. All were referred to the attorney general for possible charges. The total represents an extremely small share of the electorate – about 0.00028% of all Michigan votes cast.
Annie Farmer, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s survivors and a guest of the representative Robert Garcia at the State of the Union address, issued a pointed rebuke after Donald Trump’s address, saying she and other survivors in the chamber were “met with silence”.
Farmer said Trump had pledged to bring Epstein’s network of abuse into the open, yet “powerful individuals remain shielded” and basic questions – including why authorities failed to act when her sister, Maria Farmer, reported Epstein in 1996 – remain unanswered.
The administration’s handling of the Epstein files has become an unrelenting flashpoint. Earlier Tuesday, Democrats on the House oversight committee launched an inquiry into whether the justice department withheld materials involving allegations against Trump in its latest document release.
“While the DoJ might want to wash their hands of Epstein, this fight is far from over. The president can still live up to his promise,” Farmer said. “I’m here to fight for the whole truth survivors and the American people deserve.”
Fact check: Trump vows to ‘always protect’ Medicaid despite steep cuts in tax bill
During his State of the Union address, Donald Trump vowed to “always protect” Medicaid. This is the federal health insurance program for low-income Americans that saw steep cuts with the passage of the president’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The congressional budget office estimated the sweeping tax policy legislation would reduce federal Medicaid spending by $793bn, and increase the number of uninsured people by at least 7.8 million over the next decade.
The majority of these cuts will come from work-reporting requirements, increasing barriers for enrollment and renewal of Medicaid coverage, and limiting states’ ability to raise state Medicaid funds through provider taxes.
Fact check: Trump’s victory lap on Thailand-Cambodia conflict
Rebecca Ratcliffe
The century-long border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia is one of various conflicts Trump claims to have resolved.
Trump presided over the signing of a ceasefire deal between the two sides in October, calling it “a monumental step”.
He had pressured leaders from both countries to make a deal by warning trade talks with the US would otherwise be put on hold.
However, the underlying causes of the conflict, which is rooted in longstanding disagreements over colonial-era maps, has never been resolved.
The ceasefire broke down just weeks later in November, and fighting erupted again in December, forcing half a million people to flee their homes.
Both sides have repeatedly accused each other of provocations. On Tuesday, Thailand’s military said its troops exchanged fire with Cambodian forces, accusing its neighbour of first firing “a single 40mm grenade round” near a Thai patrol in the border province of Sisaket. Cambodia has denied this.
Cambodia has accused Thai forces of occupying Cambodian territory, saying Thai troops have laid shipping containers in a way that prevents its citizens from returning to their villages. Thailand denies this, saying the land belongs to Thailand.
Fact check: Trump pushes misleading claims on DC crime rates
Earlier, the president said that crime in Washington DC was now “at the lowest level ever recorded” and that murders in DC this January “were down close to 100%” from a year ago.
However, data from the Metropolitan police deparment (MPD) shows that homicides are down 67% compared with this time in 2025.
While violent crime in DC fell in 2025, it had started to fall in the year before Trump took office, sent national guard troops to the nation’s capital and federalized the MPD.
Joseph Gedeon
Former Trump press secretary Stephanie Grisham, speaking at the State of the Swamp counter-event at the National Press Club, drew on her time inside the first Trump administration to call him a liar mid-State of the Union speech.
“He used to tell me: ‘Stephanie, if you tell them enough, they will believe it,’” she told the crowd, after his speech was turned off.
“I can tell you, he is lying right now to this country,” she added.
Grisham left the administration in 2021 and has since become one of Trump’s most outspoken critics.
The Virginia governor wrapped her speech in 12 minutes, ending her remarks hopeful that her success is indicative of more Democratic wins come November:
I was the first Democrat elected in 50 years, swinging our district 17 points. Those who are stepping up now to run will win in November, because Americans, you at home, know you can demand more and that we are working to lower cost. We are working to keep our communities and our country safe, and we are working for you.
Spanberger’s gubernatorial victory last year was a bright spot for Democrats as they reckoned with Kamala Harris’s 2024 election loss.
“I won my election by 15 points, and we won 13 new seats in our state legislature because voters decided they wanted something different,” Spanberger said in her address today, telegraphing a blue wave in the upcoming midterms.
“This is happening across the country. New Jersey elected Mikey Sherrill as governor in a double-digit victory,” the Virginia governor added. “Democrats flip state legislative seats in places like Georgia, Iowa, Mississippi and Texas. The list goes on and on. Ordinary Americans are stepping up to run in the spirit of our forefathers. They are running to demand more and to do more for their neighbors and communities.”
