The Supreme Court of the United States delivered a major blow to President Donald Trump’s trade agenda on Friday, striking down his tariffs in a 6 to 3 decision. And according to a new poll taken just hours later, most Americans appear to be on the Court’s side.
In the ruling released Friday morning, Chief Justice John Roberts joined Justices Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Brett Kavanaugh dissented. Notably, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Coney Barrett are all Trump appointees.
The majority opinion concluded that the emergency powers granted to the president under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act do not include the authority to impose tariffs.
Trump reacted angrily, criticizing the justices, including those he appointed, and insisting he still had the authority to move forward without Congress. By Friday evening, he announced on Truth Social that he was imposing “a Global 10% Tariff on all Countries, which will be effective almost immediately.”
At the same time, new numbers from YouGov suggest the ruling may align with how many Americans feel about the issue. In a survey of 1,931 U.S. adults conducted in the hours after the decision, 60% said they approved of the Supreme Court striking down the tariffs. That includes 43% who strongly approved and 17% who somewhat approved. 23% disapproved, while 17% said they were not sure.
Breaking it down by party, Democrats overwhelmingly backed the decision, with 88% approving and just 6% disapproving. Among Independents, 63% approved, 16% disapproved, and 21% were unsure.
Republican responses were more divided. 30% said they approved of the ruling, 47% disapproved, and 23% said they were not sure.
YouGov also asked respondents whether they believed “tariffs imposed by Donald Trump increased, decreased, or had no effect on the prices you paid for things that you bought?”
66% said the tariffs increased prices. Of those, 41% said prices increased a lot and 25% said they increased slightly. Only 5% believed the tariffs caused prices to decrease, while 16% said they had no effect and 12% were unsure.
Among Democrats, 88% said the tariffs increased prices, including 67% who said prices went up a lot. 68% of Independents said prices increased, with 44% saying they went up a lot.
Even among Republicans, 44% said the tariffs raised prices, 28% said they had no effect, 10% said they lowered prices, and 17% were unsure.