This is the Wilmington Standard Daily Update for Tuesday February 24, 2026.

It is now old news that the United States Supreme Court has blocked President Trump from imposing tariffs as part of his foreign policy.  Conservatives were split over the President’s use of tariffs from the get-go.  While they do provide an effective stick in foreign policy when negotiating with both economic allies and enemies, history time and time again shows that economic protectionism through the use of tariffs never ends well.  While globalism in terms of geo-politics is a thing to be feared, global free trade is a thing to be encouraged.  In his defense, President Trump was using the power of the tariff to get us back to proper free trade.  But – according to six of the nine Supreme Court Justices – he lacks the power to do so.

What the ruling from the Supreme Court really does is point to the fact that Congress – both the House and the Senate – are truly unable to do anything.  Apparently the Supremes would have no problem if these tariffs had been imposed by Congress.  A really strict reading of our Constitution would support that – Congress has the power of the purse and the ability to raise taxes including duties on imports.  So Congress should have acted on this global attack on America’s economy years ago.  But they did not.   Realistically, if the President had gone to Congress – not only would the tariffs NOT have happened, a bill supporting these duties on other nations would have ended up funding a bridge to nowhere in a congressional district that needed some pork.  As Senator Ben Sasse told the Kavanaugh Hearing 7 years ago – and the irony is not lost that Justice Kavanaugh supported the president in his dissent - the legislature is weak and impotent, and most of its power has been kicked to the Executive and Judiciary.   President Trump knows how inefficient and ineffective and unwilling the legislature is to take decisive action on just about anything – and so rightly or wrongly decided to try to find another way to put America first in his policies.

All that is on us.  Instead of electing statesmen to Congress, we elect internet influencers.  Instead of putting into office thoughtful and educated leaders, we opt for those who throw around catch phrases and slogans but have no governing capability.  We put into office those who will always take the easy path to re-election instead of those who are willing to take the big-hit and place country before ideology and getting back into office.  When those who are truly statesmen seek to get re-elected, they are inundated with anti-establishment rhetoric – especially from the right.

 And when we get frustrated at the swamp for not doing anything, we start yelling “term limits” instead of “voter responsibility.”

For the Wilmington Standard, I’m Reuel Sample.  Thanks for listening.