Donald Trump and his administration recently faced a roadblock after the United States Supreme Court slashed his previously set tariffs. Though the initial rates were ruled illegal, Trump restated his intentions and imposed tariffs of 15 percent across the board for up to 150 days.
Additionally, Trump also invoked Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to create a workaround.
While the president cited “large and serious United States balance-of-payments deficits” as the reason, a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report has now claimed that it only indicates that he is aiming to unleash economic fury.
The editorial board of the prominent newspaper suggested that it would have been best for Trump to withdraw and press pause on the existing policies rather than requesting time to create a work around.
Their statement said, “Trump is aiming in fury at the Supreme Court, but he will end up hitting the economy and Republicans in Congress.”
WSJ further called the move a bull-headed decision and an unnecessarily risky escalation that could have been avoided by freezing tariffs at the moment. It warned that the after-effects of the president’s gamble would harm the economy, create a sense of uncertainty in business and even damage the already poor chances of the Republican party in the midterm elections.
🚨 FedEx Files Lawsuit Seeking Tariff Refund
FedEx has sued the Trump administration, demanding a full refund of tariffs after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the policy exceeded presidential authority. The case could impact future trade and tariff regulations. pic.twitter.com/melrr2pSSZ
— HABBY FOREX ACADEMY (@RashidAli62914) February 24, 2026
Expressing concern over Trump’s fixation on tariffs, the newspaper stated, “The smart play after his legal defeat would be to take an off-ramp and forgo or pause new tariffs. He is so bull-headed about tariffs that he’s going to re-impose them any way he can.”
Well, the Trade Act of 1974 allows the president to impose tariffs only for a duration of 150 days. However, in the case of Trump, even these would be risky according to the newspaper, and could create a huge dent in the persisting economic conditions of the country.
WSJ further wrote, “They’ll create more uncertainty for business, at least for a while. And with the midterm elections coming soon, this timing is fraught for Republicans. Amid an ‘affordability’ panic, Mr. Trump says he is going to impose more border taxes on enough imports to make up for his lost emergency tariffs. Democrats must be thrilled at their dumb luck.”
Adding on to the pile of seething criticism, the WSJ board made a remark on the Trump administration’s “bait and switch” tactics. These were in reference to its statements about potential refunds to businesses.
So far, the government has taken in roughly $200 billion from tariffs. Changing stances, the administration has now claimed to fight every refund request in court. The refunds will now be delayed from being put to more productive economic uses.
The government is on the hook to refund $134 billion – and counting – worth of tariff revenue collected from President Donald Trump’s most sweeping tariffs, which were rendered illegal by the Supreme Court last week.
How much of that will consumers get back?
— Tyson Eyre (@EyreTyson) February 24, 2026
For the unversed, the Supreme Court ruled six to three against Trump’s sweeping tariffs. The court said the tariffs were unconstitutional as only Congress can impose taxes. As per the explicit words of the Court, the president has no right or authority to tax and impose tariffs.
Trump, however, later justified the move by saying there are large and serious balance-of-payments deficits.
Notably, no president in the history of America has invoked Section 122 for matters of such broad tariffs. As a result, Trump’s move has led experts to question its very applicability, considering that the U.S. does not really have a balance-of-payments crisis going on at the moment.
