Trump has made tariffs a central part of his presidency. Chaos could be next

President Donald Trump has paid a price for going solo on tariffs. The Supreme Court delivered a rare rebuke on Friday, ruling that he did not have the power to declare an economic emergency and impose sweeping new taxes on imports. Trump had made tariffs the basis of his economic pitch to voters participating in the midterm elections, even describing tariffs as his “favorite word in the dictionary.” He promised that factories would move from abroad and bring jobs with them, and he warned that the loss of the tariffs could plunge the U.S. into a deep recession.

But Friday’s ruling will likely prolong the political and economic chaos over international trade during the election year.Trump called the decision “a shame” when he was told about the news during a private meeting with several governors, according to a person with direct knowledge of the president’s response who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Republican strategist Doug Heye said it was immediately clear that the president “isn’t going to be happy” with the decision.

“We’re starting to hear that this is a huge blow, a huge rejection,” he said.

However, Heye said Trump will try to find another way to pursue his trade agenda. “Are they going to be able to figure out how to use this as an opportunity or not?” he asked. “There are too many questions.”

The White House plans to use alternative laws to enforce its tariffs, but that policy will only prolong the debate and keep alive an issue that is largely unpopular with voters.

About six in ten Americans think Trump has gone too far in imposing new tariffs on other countries, according to a January AP-NORC poll.

Even more worrisome for a president elected on a promise to address Americans’ concerns about affordability, 76% said in a poll last April that Trump’s tariff policies would raise the cost of consumer goods in the US.

Democrats quickly seized the opportunity the Supreme Court gave them, with Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., saying Trump “is not king” and that his “tariffs have always been illegal.”

“Republicans in Congress could have easily ended this economic crisis by standing up for their communities,” said DelBene, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Instead, they chose to bend the knee to Trump while families, small businesses and farmers suffered from higher prices.”

The ruling essentially allows Democrats to say that Trump broke the law and that middle-class families have suffered as a result.

But Trump has claimed his tariffs were the difference between national prosperity and deep poverty, a speech he delivered Thursday evening to voters in the swing state of Georgia.

The president used the word “tariff” 28 times in his speech Thursday to a Georgia steel company, Coosa Steel, which credited the import taxes with making its products more competitive with goods from China.

“Without tariffs, this country would be in such trouble right now,” Trump said.

Trump also complained that he had to justify his use of tariffs to the Supreme Court.

“I have to wait for this decision. I’ve been waiting forever, forever, and the language is clear that I have the right to do this as president,” he said. “I have the right to impose tariffs for national security purposes on countries that have been cheating us for years.” By a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court said no.