Governor Newsom calls for immediate tariff refund checks following Supreme Court ruling against Trump

What you need to know: The Supreme Court struck down Trump's illegal tariffs. Governor Newsom is now calling on Trump to refund Americans their money immediately - with interest.

SAN FRANCISCO - Governor Gavin Newsom today called on the Trump Administration to immediately issue refund checks - with interest - to American families and businesses after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs were illegal.

"Time to pay the piper, Donald. These tariffs were nothing more than an illegal cash grab that drove up prices and hurt working families, so you could wreck longstanding alliances and extort them. Every dollar unlawfully taken must be refunded immediately - with interest. Cough up!"

Governor Gavin Newsom

The Court's 6-3 decision confirmed what Governor Newsom argued from the beginning in California's lawsuit: President Trump lacked the authority to impose sweeping tariffs under emergency powers. The illegal tariffs, a tax, collected more than $130 billion from importers, costs that were passed on to consumers through higher prices on everyday goods. A recent Yale report found that the tariffs led to the average family losing $1,751 dollars last year.

The first state to challenge Trump's illegal tariffs, California led the nation in suing over Trump's abuse of power, filing suit in April 2025 to stop tariffs imposed without congressional approval. The lawsuit argued Trump's use of emergency powers was unlawful, economically reckless, and unconstitutional.

In today's ruling in related cases, the Supreme Court agreed - ruling that federal law does not give the President unchecked authority to impose sweeping tariffs and rejecting Trump's attempt to bypass Congress and unilaterally raise taxes on the American people.