Donald Trump, US President Bookworm by profession.Image: keystone
Donald Trump suffered a defeat: most of the tariffs he imposed were overturned by the Supreme Court. Trump is angry – and loses the thread again in anger.
Feb 21, 2026, 7:22 p.mFeb 21, 2026, 7:22 p.m
Dariusch Rimkus / watson.de
One of Donald Trump’s favorite hobbies in the seemingly boring everyday life of a US president is to say all sorts of interesting things that come to mind – especially about himself. He regularly digresses in speeches. However, this doesn’t seem unintentional; Trump gives in to his spontaneous flashes of inspiration and just talks straight away.
This is what happened on Friday when Trump commented on the Supreme Court’s recent decision to declare a large part of the tariffs he had imposed illegal.
Trump, for whom the decision represents a significant defeat, sharply criticized the Supreme Court – but previously explained how thoroughly he, an excellent reader, had read all the relevant laws on the subject.
«I read really well. Great understanding»
When a reporter asked Trump if he was surprised by the Supreme Court’s decision, Trump initially replied in the affirmative and then explained:
«I read the paragraphs. I read really well. I have a great understanding. I read everything there was to read. And I said, ‘We can’t lose this case.'”
The fact that Trump praises himself for more or less strange abilities is nothing new. What is particularly explosive in this case are two things: For one thing, Trump openly admitted that he misjudged the tariff situation when he read through the relevant laws and concluded that he would get away with the tariffs.
On the other hand, there have been rumors in the past that Trump actually has poor reading skills.
Can Trump read properly? Pete Davidson shared anecdote
Comedian Pete Davidson once shared an anecdote on the show “Opie Radio” from his time together with Donald Trump on the set of the legendary US show “Saturday Night Live”. Davidson began by saying that Trump didn’t know how to read properly.
Pete Davidson.Image: keystone
He noticed this while reading the scripts together when Trump was a guest on the show during sketches. The current US President would have loved to improvise even back then. That’s why he always asked if it was okay if he didn’t read the scripts and just freestyle.
Trump apparently read the script for a certain sketch – but probably not well enough. Trump played a father visiting Disneyland with his daughter. According to the script, Trump was actually supposed to ask if she wanted turkey legs. Instead, Trump called his on-screen daughter “turkey legs” while filming the scene. “He doesn’t know how to read properly,” Davidson explained with a laugh.
Trump “with his pants down” after customs decision
The Supreme Court’s decision is a bitter blow for Trump. The 1977 emergency law sought by Trump does not authorize the president to impose tariffs, the judges ruled with a majority of six to three votes. Congress is responsible for this.
As befits his profession, the US President sought to blame primarily his opponents, who now also include the judges in question. After the verdict, Trump attacked them verbally: “I’m ashamed of certain members of the court, I’m really ashamed because they don’t have the courage to do what’s right for our country,” Trump said on Friday at a press conference in the White House.
“They are very unpatriotic and disloyal to our Constitution,” he continued. He also mocked them as “idiots and lap dogs.”
Following the decision, Trump imposed new tariffs of 10 percent worldwide – which he later arbitrarily increased to 15 percent in usual Trump style –, this time based on a trade law from 1974. This allows, under certain conditions, tariffs to be levied on imports for up to 150 days. Experts already doubt that these have been met.
For Trump, the tariff decision is still a slap in the face, especially since he is planning a trip to China to discuss the tariff dispute between the two countries. US expert Peter Kleim explained to NTVTrump then drove there “with his pants down.”
(with additions from July).