President Donald Trump’s Friday got off to a rough start as three critical components of his economic agenda collapsed.A major economic indicator, gross domestic product (GDP), slowed significantly, dropping to just 1.4% annually as inflation rose. And the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the legal basis for the president’s sweeping global tariffs, ruling that his use of that authority was unlawful.”U.S. growth slowed more than expected near the end of 2025 as the government shutdown impacted spending and investment, while a key inflation metric showed high prices are still a factor for the economy, according to data released Friday,” CNBC reported.GDP was expected to come in at 2.5%, experts predicted.For 2025, the president delivered GDP far softer than his predecessor, President Joe Biden, did in 2024.”For the full year in 2025, the U.S. economy grew at a 2.2% pace, down from the 2.8% increase in 2024,” CNBC noted.Trump and his administration had been aiming for 3% to 4% growth.”Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in December, “said that it’s been a ‘very strong’ holiday season for the economy and predicted that the U.S. would end the year at 3% real GDP,” CNBC reported at the time.Meanwhile, inflation “held firm in December, according to a gauge most closely watched by Fed officials that increased 3% from a year ago,” CNBC added, meaning that overall prices are three percent higher than they were one year ago.But for Trump, perhaps the most devastating news came from the Supreme Court, where Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for a 6–3 majority, said Trump had acted outside his authority by unilaterally imposing global tariffs without congressional approval.Critics were quick to weigh in.”The ‘Trump economy’ is a story of lost jobs, and higher prices, caused by greed, corruption and incompetence,” noted professor and investor Adam Cochran.”It’s hard to imagine a ruling that cuts more deeply to the heart of Trump’s identity in public life,” Politico’s Kyle Cheney wrote, “he has linked his presidency to the ability to use tariffs as a deal-making cudgel and bend other global powers to his will.”Aaron Fritschner, Deputy Chief of Staff for U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) wrote simply, “He’s gonna be big mad.”
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