President Trump on Friday slammed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other members of Congress following a Supreme Court ruling that found the President lacked authority to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
Jeffries was quick to applaud the ruling, calling the President a “wannabe King” on X:
The Supreme Court decision striking down the harmful Trump Tariffs is a big victory for the American people.
And another crushing defeat for the wannabe King.
The Supreme Court decision striking down the harmful Trump Tariffs is a big victory for the American people.
And another crushing defeat for the wannabe King.
— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) February 20, 2026
Trump was asked about his comments and other criticisms on Friday, and he responded, “I would call him a low IQ.”
“I watched him the other day interview. The guy doesn’t even know what a tariff is,” Trump added.
The president further defended his tariffs when pressed by a reporter on attempts by Congress to block his tariff authority, stating, “I have the right to do tariffs, and I’ve always had the right to do tariffs. And it’s all been approved by Congress, so there’s no reason to do it.” He further said the Republicans opposed to his tariffs are “not good Republicans” and that the Democrats are “destroying our country.”
Trump also said during the press conference that his non-IEEPA tariffs will remain in effect and that the SCOTUS decision actually reaffirms his tariff authority.
WATCH:
Transcript:
Reporter: Several of Republicans in Congress have supported this decision by the Supreme Court, and Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader, has called you a wannabe King. Why wouldn’t—
Trump: I would call him a low IQ. He doesn’t even know, and I watched him the other day interview. The guy doesn’t even know what a tariff is.
Reporter: But there’s been bipartisan criticism of the tariffs.
Trump: No, not bipartisan. Excuse me, a few people—
Reporter: There’s several Republicans who have said that.
Trump: Yeah, a few people.
Reporter: But why wouldn’t you just work with Congress to come up with a plan to push tariffs through?
Trump: I don’t have to. I have the right to do tariffs, and I’ve always had the right to do tariffs. And it’s all been approved by Congress, so there’s no reason to do it. All we’re doing is we’re going through a little bit more complicated process, not complicated very much, but a little more complicated than what we had. We’ll be able to take in tariffs, more tariffs, and the Congresspeople—
Reporter: The House just voted down the Canadian tariffs last week. There’s been votes in the Senate against it.
Trump: Yeah, because we lost two Republicans or three Republicans because they’re not good Republicans. What you don’t say, so you don’t say that we had, that we got 215 votes–
Reporter: You need 218 for something to pass.
Trump: Sure, we do. We might have lost three votes, and we got, what was the score on the Republican side? 215, to three, right? But you don’t say that. We have great unity. There’s great unity in the Republican Party. And I hope everyone’s going to vote Republican because, otherwise, you won’t have a country left because these people have been destroying— they are destroying our country.
As The Gateway Pundit reported, President Trump on Friday said he will invoke global tariffs of 10% Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 allows the President to impose tariffs of 15% for 150 days with few limitations.
WATCH: “I Don’t Think the Court Meant That, but It’s the Way It is” – Trump Says SCOTUS Actually Reaffirmed Tariff Powers, Announces 10% GLOBAL Tariffs and Investigation into Unfair Trading Practices of Other Countries and Companies
The post WATCH: “The Guy Doesn’t Even Know What a Tariff Is” – Trump Slams “Low IQ” Hakeem Jeffries After He Calls Trump a “Wannabe King” and Says He Doesn’t Need to Work With Congress on Tariffs appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.