‘India Will Pay Tariffs, We Won’t’: Trump After SC Ruling

US President Donald Trump has said the recently announced trade framework with India will remain in place despite the US Supreme Court striking down his sweeping global tariffs. Responding within hours of the ruling, Trump also unveiled a new 10 per cent temporary import duty on goods entering the United States.

The 6-3 verdict, authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, ruled that the tariffs imposed on multiple countries were illegal and that the President had exceeded his authority in introducing them.

ALSO READ: After Supreme Court Ruling, Trump Signals Fresh Tariffs: What Laws He Could Use

Supreme Court Blocks Sweeping Tariffs

🚨President Trump BLASTS the liberal SCOTUS justices — Jackson, Sotomayor and Kagan

“Frankly, a DISGRACE to our nation! An automatic NO.”

“They’re being FOOLS AND LAPDOGS for RINOs and Democrats!”

“You can’t knock their loyalty! That’s one thing you can do with some of OUR… pic.twitter.com/ZEUS5lIgxv

— Eric Deters (@bulllaw) February 20, 2026

In a 6–3 decision authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, the US Supreme Court ruled that the tariffs imposed on countries worldwide were unlawful, stating that the President had overstepped his authority.

The verdict dealt a blow to one of Trump’s signature policy tools. Reacting sharply, he criticised the justices who ruled against him, describing them as “fools and lapdogs”.

“The Supreme Court’s ruling on tariffs is deeply disappointing, and I’m ashamed of certain members of the Court, absolutely ashamed for not having the courage to do what’s right for our country,” Trump said during a White House press conference on Friday.

‘Nothing Changes’ On India Deal

#WATCH | Responding to ANI’s question about US-India trade deal, US President Trump says, “Nothing changes. They’ll be paying tariffs and we will not be paying tariffs… PM Modi is a great man. He was much smarter than the people he was against in terms of the US… He was… pic.twitter.com/FvKwe8prP7

— ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2026

Despite the ruling, Trump insisted that the recently announced trade framework between Washington and New Delhi remains unaffected.

When asked whether the interim agreement with India would proceed, he replied, “nothing changes”.

“Nothing changes. They’ll (India) be paying tariffs, and we will not be paying tariffs. So deal with India is they pay tariffs. This is a reversal for what it used to be. As you know, India and I think Prime Minister Modi is a great gentleman, a great man, actually, but he was much smarter than the people that he was against in terms of the United States, he was ripping us off. So we made a deal with India. It’s a fair deal now, and we are not paying tariffs to them, and they are paying tariffs. We did a little flip,” Trump said.

He added, “The India deal is on…all the deals are on, we’re just going to do it” in a different way.

Trump also spoke warmly of his ties with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying his relationship with the Indian leader “is, I would say, great.”

Claims On India-Pakistan Tensions

During the press interaction, Trump reiterated his claim that he had played a decisive role in easing tensions between India and Pakistan last summer, citing tariffs as leverage.

“I also stopped the war between India and Pakistan. As you know, there were 10 planes were shot down. That war was going and probably going nuclear. And just yesterday, the Prime Minister of Pakistan said President Trump saved 35 million lives by getting them to stop,” Trump said.

“And I did it largely with tariffs. I said, ‘Look, you’re going to fight, that’s fine, but you’re not going to do business with the United States, and you’re going to pay a 200% tariff, each country’. And they called up and they said, ‘we have made peace’,” he added.

He further remarked, “Tariffs have likewise been used to end five of the eight wars that I settled. I settled eight wars, whether you like it or not, including India, Pakistan, big ones, nuclear, could have been nuclear.”

“Prime Minister of Pakistan said yesterday at the great meeting that we had the peace board. He said yesterday that President Trump could have saved 35 million lives by getting us to stop fighting. They were getting ready to do some bad things. But they’ve given us great national security, these tariffs have,” he said.

Fresh 10% Global Import Duty

Soon after the ruling, Trump signed a Proclamation introducing a “temporary import duty” aimed at addressing international payments concerns and reshaping US trade relationships.

The measure imposes a 10 per cent ad valorem duty on imported goods for 150 days. It is set to take effect on 24 February at 12:01 a.m.

Earlier this month, when the US and India unveiled their interim trade framework, Trump had issued an Executive Order removing 25 per cent punitive tariffs on India linked to Russian oil purchases. Under the new arrangement, the reciprocal tariff on India was reduced from 25 per cent to 18 per cent.

Trade Strategy Shifts, But Stays Central

While the Supreme Court ruling curtails one aspect of Trump’s tariff powers, his swift move to impose a temporary levy underscores that trade remains central to his administration’s approach.

For now, Trump maintains that existing trade agreements, including the one with India, remain firmly in place, even as the legal and political debate over tariffs intensifies.