In a stunning rebuke to the nation's highest legal authority, President Donald Trump unveiled a new 10% global tariff on 20 February. The manoeuvre arrived just hours after the US Supreme Court struck down his trade duties.

The ruling invalidated a core pillar of his economic agenda. But the president wasn't ready to back down. He quickly turned to other executive tools at his disposal to push his trade agenda forward.

In a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court dealt a major blow to the White House, finding that the president had overstepped what the law actually permits under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Chief Justice John Roberts authored the majority opinion.

The court determined the legislation did not grant power to levy unlimited tariffs without congressional approval. Prior to the ruling, the administration had collected an estimated £107.5 billion ($129 billion) in revenue from these duties.

This defeat stripped Trump of his vital international negotiating tool. The ruling also cast immediate uncertainty over trade agreements with allies and rivals, including Canada, China, and the UK.

News of the defeat reached the president during a breakfast meeting with state governors. According to CNN correspondent, the gathering had been proceeding smoothly until President Trump learned of the Supreme Court decision.

The president reportedly became furious upon learning his strategy had been dismantled. Holmes noted that he began ranting to the room, calling the decision a disgrace whilst aggressively attacking the judiciary.

The outburst ended with the president declaring, 'These effing courts,' allegedly using the actual profanity. Sources indicated that the president clearly recognised the magnitude of the loss, as his tariffs had served as critical diplomatic leverage.

CNN: Apparently the breakfast had been going well. Then Trump became enraged. He started ranting about the decision, not only calling it a disgrace, but started attacking the courts at one point saying: these f’ing courtspic.twitter.com/p7aR2LiXVV

Refusing to concede, the president held a press briefing to announce retaliatory trade measures. He declared his administration would pivot to the Trade Act of 1974 to enforce levies.

Source: International Business Times UK