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Supreme Court deals a blow to Trump's economic agenda: From the Politics Desk

This is the online version of From the Politics Desk, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

Happy Friday! In today’s edition, we break down the fallout from the Supreme Court’s long-awaited tariff ruling and highlight two House GOP primaries in Texas that are worth monitoring next month.

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— Adam Wollner

White House scrambles after tariff loss as Trump unloads on Supreme Court

By Jonathan Allen, Matt Dixon, Katherine Doyle and Allan Smith

A visibly irritated President Donald Trump blasted the Supreme Court for striking down tariffs he had imposed under an economic emergency law. He vowed to bolster the broader policy — a central part of his agenda — by using alternative powers to levy import duties on foreign goods.

“The good news is that there are methods, practices, statutes and authorities, as recognized by the entire court in this terrible decision, and also as recognized by Congress” that are “available to me as president of the United States,” Trump said during a hastily scheduled news conference in the White House briefing room.

Specifically, Trump said that he would, in the next few days, put in place a temporary 10% global tariff on all imports under “Section 122” powers. If Congress does not act to extend that tariff within 150 days of its implementation, it expires.

While simultaneously berating the court and claiming that its decision actually empowers him, Trump acknowledged that wielding the tariff as an economic and national security weapon will be “more complicated” as a result of the 6-3 opinion invalidating his novel claim of tariff power under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977.

Though he had long been warned that the court might rule against him, Trump and his advisers still appeared to be scrambling to put together a point-by-point plan to make up for the defeat.

“At this point, no one should be surprised that the courts are working against President Trump,” said one Trump adviser who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the mood and thinking of the president’s team. “To say everyone here is irate would be an understatement. But this is not over. We will be heard from again on this. I don’t know that there is a specific plan as of this moment, but it’s not over.”

SCOTUS attacks: Trump singled out two of the justices he appointed to the court — Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch — for scorn. They voted with Chief Justice John Roberts, who was appointed by Republican George W. Bush, and the three Democratic-appointed justices to block his tariffs.

He also accused the court of being “swayed by foreign interests” but declined to provide any evidence of that.

Conversely, he praised Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, who voted in the minority to leave his tariffs in place.

Behind the scenes: Trump learned about the decision while he was speaking to a bipartisan group of governors at the White House.

An aide handed him a note explaining the ruling, according to one governor who was in attendance, and Trump told the room that it was “a disgrace.” Before leaving the room to attend to the White House response, a fuming Trump told the governors that he had a backup plan ready, according to a second person familiar with his reaction.

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Two Texas House Republicans face tough primary battles

Two sitting House Republicans are facing tough primary battles in Texas next month for very different reasons.

Texas’ 2nd District: Rep. Dan Crenshaw is the only House Republican running for re-election in the first primaries of 2026 on March 3 whom President Donald Trump hasn’t endorsed, Ben Kamisar writes.

State Rep. Steve Toth is challenging Crenshaw, arguing the incumbent’s foreign policy and immigration positions are out of step with the MAGA wing of the party.

Crenshaw has responded forcefully to the challenge. He significantly outraised Toth and is outspending him on the airwaves, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact, running TV spots that emphasize how “Crenshaw stands with Trump.”

But the lack of blessing from the president, whose endorsement shapes Republican primaries up and down the ballot, is a notable omission for Crenshaw, who has tangled with prominent conservative personalities who are boosting Toth’s insurgent campaign in part by questioning Crenshaw’s loyalty to Trump.

Crenshaw argues that he is in lockstep with Trump, but he has also staunchly backed aid for Ukraine in its fight against an invading Russia, breaking with others in the Republican Party. And he notably distanced himself from Trump’s false claims in 2020 that the presidential election had been stolen, later criticizing unnamed Republicans for pushing the “lie” that the election could have been overturned.

Texas’ 23rd District: The Office of Congressional Conduct has conducted and concluded an investigation into an alleged affair between Rep. Tony Gonzales and a former staffer who died by suicide in September, Ben reports with Ryan Nobles and Melanie Zanona.

Two sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News that the probe has wrapped up, but the OCC cannot transmit its report to the House Ethics Committee within a 60-day window before an election involving a member of Congress in the investigation.

The congressman had previously denied the affair months ago, but his new statements in response to questions avoid addressing the allegation. His office did not respond to repeated requests from NBC News to clarify whether he stands by that past denial, and he did not respond to a request for comment on the OCC investigation.

Instead, Gonzales has framed the allegations as politically motivated, as his most prominent primary opponent, Brandon Herrera, calls for him to resign and claims the alleged affair broke ethics rules. The congressman has also accused the woman’s husband and the husband’s lawyer of blackmail.

Herrera, a pro-gun influencer, forced Gonzales into a runoff election in 2024 but ultimately fell short of defeating him by a few hundred votes.

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