In a stunning rebuke, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against the Trump administration on Friday regarding its authority to impose sweeping tariffs, and Americans are already bracing for impact out of fear that “things could get messy.”
“This is huge,” wrote X user “InvestingwithMG,” an amateur investor and market commentator. “Interested to see how the Trump administration responds and how markets respond. Things could get messy if the U.S. has to refund the tariffs they’ve collected.”
The Supreme Court’s decision – that President Donald Trump had exceeded his authority in imposing his so-called reciprocal tariffs – is expected to send shockwaves across the globe, and potentially infuriate the president himself.
Trump has grown increasingly panicked over the Supreme Court’s impending decision, having periodically lashed out at justices and warning of a potential $2 trillion “catastrophe” should his tariffs be ruled unlawful. He’s also warned that the United States “could be reduced to almost Third World status” if his tariffs were overruled.
“You can’t charge the American people additional taxes,” wrote another, X user “Jude,” who frequently shares content critical of the Trump administration. “We paid those tariffs and we want that money back.”
Last month, Trump erupted on social media in a panicked rant about the Supreme Court’s looming decision on his tariffs, warning that if the tariffs were ruled unlawful, the United States would be forced to pay back “hundreds of billions of dollars,” something, he argued, “would be a complete mess and almost impossible for our country to pay.”
wow, trump just got shut down by the supreme court. tried to slap tariffs on everything and they said no way..🤔
— mcidinha base.eth (@mcidinha2013) February 20, 2026