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"A victory" - Mike Pence, dunking on his former boss's defeat in the Supreme Court today.

Liberation Slay

The Supreme Court crushed Donald Trump’s favorite economic policy like an empty soda can, showing even conservative justices have limits with his authoritarian overreach.

• When President Donald Trump unveiled hefty worldwide tariffs last year, he dubbed the occasion “Liberation Day.” The real liberation, however, occurred today — at the hands of some unlikely liberators. The conservative-packed Supreme Court slapped down Trump’s tariff regime, in a 6-3 ruling that upends the president’s signature policy.

• “The Framers did not vest any part of the taxing power in the Executive Branch,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote today. “The President enjoys no inherent authority to impose tariffs during peacetime.”

• Thwarting Trump’s tariffs limits his power over the economy, and also blunts his favorite foreign policy sword. He has brandished tariffs, and the threat of tariffs, to scare foreign countries into doing his bidding. Now, the court is saying he needs a new trick.

• Trump promised to find one. In a defiant press conference this afternoon, the president slammed the decision and insisted he could still tax trade using other legal tricks. The ruling left him “numerous other ways,” he said, announcing plans to sign an order to impose a new 10 percent global tariff over the existing rates.

• “We’re going forward. We’ll be able to take in more money,” Trump boasted. “I don’t think the court meant it.” It remains to be seen whether the courts will stop the new trade gimmicks as well.

• His refusal to take “no” for an answer spells future turbulence for the economy. Businesses hate uncertainty and regulatory chaos. Importers are already wondering how they’ll get a refund on the $133 billion they splashed out on the nullified tariffs. Trump said today that resolving this issue will take years of courtroom wrangling.

• Fresh economic data this morning also raised new anxieties: U.S. fourth quarter GDP growth was revised downward sharply, the pace of inflation quickened in December, and Americans still think the economy sucks.

But for now, even Republicans are breathing a sigh of relief.

• The Constitution’s checks and balances “still work,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) tweeted. He later tweeted an AI-generated picture of himself and the Supreme Court justices looking at the Constitution, with the caption: “Article One is clear.” One legal expert called this ruling the most striking example of the court holding a president to account in over half a century.

• Former Vice President Mike Pence celebrated Trump’s defeat, tweeting that the ruling “is a Victory for the American People and a Win for the Separation of Powers enshrined in the Constitution of the United States.”

• Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) lauded the ruling, adding that it will prevent future leaders from misusing presidential powers. “This ruling will also prevent a future President such as AOC from using emergency powers to enact socialism,” he tweeted. Okay, pal, whatever helps you sleep at night!

• “I keep seeing people say that the SCOTUS ruling on tariffs will help Trump by taking economic matches from the baby. That’s wrong,” Crooked’s Dan Pfeiffer tweeted. “It’s almost certainly going to make his political problems worse, because the ruling shines a light on the tariffs, and he is going to use other authorities to raise people’s prices.”

Crooked’s Tommy Vietor joined Dan to discuss the ruling this afternoon. Check it out here.

Read: Message Box: The Supreme Court Just Made Trump's Biggest Problem Worse

Pod Save America on Instagram: "The Supreme Court struck down Trump’s tariff strategy, but that doesn’t mean he’ll stop tariffs overall."

Meanwhile On The Pod...

The Real Reason Kristi Noem Isn’t Being Fired (02/20/26)

Look No Further Than Crooked Media

A brand new episode of Pollercoaster with Dan Pfeiffer is out now for Friends of the Pod subscribers. In this episode, Dan breaks down CNN's Harry Enten poll on where voters would stand if the 2024 presidential election were held today. Spoiler: Kamala Harris leads by 8 points.

By subscribing, you also unlock access to: Pod Save America: OnlyFriends, our new subscriber-exclusive show (every other Thursday), and Open Tabs, the behind-the-scenes newsletter from Pod Save America editor Reid Cherlin.

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What Else?

Donald Trump hinted that the U.S. could strike Iran soon, suggesting he might give the country 10 to 15 days to make a deal to curb its nuclear program. He’s considering an initial strike on the country, in an effort to force Iran to make a deal, the Wall Street Journal reports. This might be a stressful weekend!

Wannabe strongman alert: The Trump administration hung a huge banner of the president’s face on the Department of Justice building. They aren’t even hiding the fact that Trump has weaponized the DOJ to go after his enemies. “Points for honesty here,” The Bulwark’s Sam Stein tweeted. Nothing says “small dictator energy” like hanging a huge sign of your own face on the country’s chief law enforcement HQ. Good grief.

The Trump administration is rolling back limits on the amount of mercury and hazardous air toxics that power plants can produce. This comes a day after Trump signed an executive order to boost production of an herbicide that has been linked to cancer. America is gonna be soooo healthy again!

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s husband was banned from the department’s headquarters after he was accused of sexually assaulting female staffers, the New York Times reports. The White House and Labor Department didn’t respond to What A Day’s request for comment.

What A Sponsor

Welcome to Indigenous House — the digital media platform celebrating Indigenous voices and taking a forward-looking approach to storytelling, shaping a future rooted in joy, strength, and legacy.

This week, one of the platform's flagship shows, JADED, welcomed former U.S. Secretary of the Interior and current New Mexico gubernatorial candidate, Deb Haaland. From navigating self-doubt and imposter syndrome to combatting the cruelty and chaos that's made its way into politics, the two joined each other for a conversation packed with stories and hard-won lessons in leadership.

Follow @IndigenousHouse across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook to catch up on past episodes and learn about new podcasts, games, film, shows, cooking, culture, comedy, and more!

Light At The End...

The DOJ is struggling to find legitimate examples of voter fraud, and Donald Trump is growing frustrated, the Washington Post reports. “The efforts so far haven’t yielded results, in large part because the types of rampant voter fraud that the Trump administration describes have never been found,” the outlet writes. Love to hear it!

Trump called on the Pentagon to release more files related to UFOs, after former President Barack Obama said he believes aliens are probably real (while clarifying he has no evidence they’ve ever visited us). “I don’t know if they’re real or not,” Trump said, joking, “I may get [Obama] out of trouble by declassifying.” Honestly, “The X-Files” lover in me is excited.

Figure skater Alysa Liu won the gold medal. It’s the first time an American woman has won first place in Olympic figure skating since 2002 — before she was born. Her joyful and creative winning performance is earning her worldwide praise. “I think my story is more important than anything,” the 20-year-old said. “To me. That’s what I hold dear, and this journey has been incredible, and my life has just been — I have no complaints. I’m just so grateful for everything.”

A giant pig with “maximum confidence” broke into a North Carolina home in search of snacks, before a police officer hauled her away. “After a short standoff involving a pack of crackers and some highly questionable negotiations, deputies successfully convinced the sus-pig-ious individual to surrender,” the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a statement. The New York Post came up with a clever name for this crime: “Bacon and entering.”

Enjoy

Meet Remi!

“She lives in Washington, D.C. and had a snow-related mishap. As a result, she is very much against ICE. She wants it off the streets, the sidewalks, and the lawn.” Get well soon, Remi!

— Ross