Trump Threatens Tariffs and Criticizes Supreme Court Over Citizenship Order

President Donald Trump announced a 15 percent global tariff on February 23, 2026, following a 6–3 Supreme Court of the United States decision that blocked his ability to impose sweeping tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Trump asserted that he does not require Congressional approval for tariffs and warned that countries attempting to "play games" with the court's ruling would face even higher penalties.

Concurrent with the tariff dispute, Trump criticized the Supreme Court on Truth Social, predicting the justices will strike down his January 20, 2025, executive order to end birthright citizenship. The order denies automatic citizenship to children born in the U.S. to parents who are not lawful permanent residents. Trump argued the policy benefits nations like China, while plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit claim the order would deny citizenship to over 150,000 newborns annually.

Multiple appellate courts have already ruled the citizenship order unconstitutional based on the 14th Amendment, and the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in approximately one month. This legal battle coincides with an immigration crackdown and public scrutiny following the deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti during encounters with federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.