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How Trump Found Out: ‘So It’s A Loss, Then?’

February 20, 2026 · 12:31 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“President Trump had just started a closed-door White House meeting with governors when one of his trade advisers handed him a piece of paper,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“’So it’s a loss, then?’ Trump asked the adviser, according to people in the room. The adviser confirmed that the Supreme Court had just ruled that his global tariffs were illegal, a momentous decision that undercut the centerpiece of the president’s economic agenda.”

“Trump told the governors sitting before him in the State Dining Room that he looked calm but that he was seething inside. He called the ruling a disgrace, the people said. Soon after learning of the court’s decision, Trump cut short a question-and-answer session with governors and left the room. He said he needed to work on his response to the ruling.”

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Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

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