Vermont business owner reacts to Supreme Court decision striking down Trump’s tariffs

The Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s far-reaching global tariffs on Friday, handing him a stinging loss that sparked a furious attack on the court he helped shape.

Trump said he was “absolutely ashamed” of some justices who ruled against him, calling them “disloyal to our Constitution” and “lapdogs.” At one point he even raised the specter of foreign influence without citing any evidence.

The decision could have ripple effects on economies around the globe after Trump’s moves to remake post-World War II trading alliances by wielding tariffs as a weapon.

But an unbowed Trump has now imposed a new global tariff under a law that’s restricted to 150 days and has never been used to apply tariffs before.

Dawn Wagner, owner and lead chocolatier at Daily Chocolate, a small batch chocolate shop in Vermont, says she’s happy with the Supreme Court’s ruling but doesn’t see it positively affecting the cost of doing business. Wagner relies on imported cocoa beans from West Africa and Central America to make her chocolate.

"I don't have faith that it's really going to change much. Once a price spike has happened, it kind of sits there. You hear the announcement of 10% and you still don't know if, when and how it's going to affect you until it does,” she said. "It's been a long road, and it's changed so many times that it's really hard to figure out.”

The court’s 6-3 ruling found tariffs that Trump imposed under an emergency powers law were unconstitutional, including the sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs he levied on nearly every other country.

Trump appointed three of the justices on the nation’s highest court during his first term, and has scored a series of short-term wins that have allowed him to move ahead with key policies.

Tariffs were the first major piece of Trump’s broad agenda to come squarely before the Supreme Court for a final ruling, after lower courts had also sided against the president.