During a weekend interview on MS NOW with Reverend Al Sharpton, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) framed the Supreme Court’s recent tariff ruling as a decisive rebuke of President Donald Trump while addressing the president’s personal attacks.
The interview began against the backdrop of the Court’s decision striking down Trump’s sweeping tariff regime under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). In response, Trump swiftly announced 10 percent global tariffs—which he then later increased to 15 percent—and lashed out at the justices who ruled against him. He also took aim at Jeffries during a press conference, calling the Democratic leader “low IQ” after Jeffries had referred to the president as a “wannabe king.”
When asked by Sharpton for his reaction, Jeffries dismissed the insult as petty and irrelevant compared to what he described as the real harm caused by Trump’s trade policies. “I’m less concerned about his petty, foolish, and lame insults,” Jeffries stated, “than I am about the harm and the pain that Donald Trump continues to inflict on working‑class Americans, middle‑class Americans, and everyday Americans.”
Jeffries Vows Democrats Will Continue To Resist Trump’s Tariffs
The Supreme Court decision, he said, was “a big win for the American people” and a defeat for a president who lacked the legal authority to impose the tariffs in the first place.
Jeffries pointed out that the tariffs have driven up costs for small businesses, consumers, and farmers, adding that everyday Americans are paying thousands more per year as a result. Rather than recalibrate after the ruling, he stated, Trump is “doubling and tripling down,” continuing policies that the Court deemed unlawful and unconstitutional.
Sharpton noted that the ruling effectively shifts responsibility back to Congress and that Speaker Mike Johnson has signaled a willingness to work with the White House to preserve the president’s tariff agenda. Jeffries responded by calling out Trump and Republicans for abandoning the president’s campaign promise to lower costs “on day one.” Instead, Jeffries pointed out, costs have risen across the board—housing, groceries, healthcare, childcare, and utilities—worsening what he described as an affordability crisis.
According to Jeffries, any attempt by House Republicans to engineer a new pathway for Trump’s tariffs would likely meet the same legal fate as Trump’s sweeping tariffs under IEEPA. He emphasized that Democrats will continue to resist unilateral trade actions and push for bipartisan solutions aimed at lowering living expenses rather than raising them.
