After court blow, Trump trains fire on India-linked firms; MAGA circles target Xbox CEO
Trump attacked the plaintiffs in the case, including Chicago-based Learning Resources, a small family-owned toy company that imports educational toys, STEM kits, and classroom supplies from India
- Feb 22, 2026,
- Updated Feb 22, 2026 10:44 AM IST
US President Donald Trump lashed out at India-linked businesses and lawyers on Saturday after the Supreme Court struck down his sweeping tariffs - and within hours, sections of his MAGA-aligned base were attacking a newly appointed Indian-American tech executive.
On Friday, the top court struck down Trump's sweeping tariffs imposed under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), ruling 6–3 that the law did not grant the president authority to tax imports. The justices held that the power to impose tariffs lies with Congress.
Also read: 'Seems hard to rely on': Top lawyer behind SC blow questions Trump's 15% tariff authority again
Within hours, Trump criticised the ruling, calling the court's majority "lapdogs for the radical left" and "fools" who were "unpatriotic and disloyal to our Constitution."
He also attacked the plaintiffs in the case, including Chicago-based Learning Resources, a small family-owned toy company that imports educational toys, STEM kits and classroom supplies from India.
"I know the people that brought the lawsuit...they're major sleazebags...they're un-American slime balls who want to see our country fail," Trump said at a news conference at the White House.
Learning Resources, along with hand2mind and other plaintiffs, had challenged Trump's use of IEEPA to impose double-digit tariffs on nearly every country.
The apex court consolidated the cases. Neal Katyal, the Indian-American attorney who argued before the court, represented the Liberty Justice Center, which fronted for several affected businesses. After a coin toss determined who would present arguments, Katyal secured what he later described as a "complete and total victory."
Another Indian-American lawyer, Pratik Shah, served as lead counsel for Learning Resources and hand2mind.
Company executives said Learning Resources had paid $14 million in tariff charges in 2025, pushing the firm close to bankruptcy. The business imports products such as Do-It-Yourself science kits, Montessori-style wooden toys and sensory tools from Indian manufacturers, including Funskool and Lighthouse Learning.
Despite the ruling, Trump moved quickly and announced he would raise a global tariff to 15 per cent, up from the 10 per cent rate unveiled a day earlier. This 15% tariff he has announced using a different statutory authority.
On the same day, Microsoft's Asha Sharma came under fire from Trump's MAGA crowd. Sharma has been named as executive vice president and CEO of Microsoft's gaming division. She previously led product development for AI models and services at Microsoft.
Almost immediately, MAGA-aligned voices recycled claims of corporate nepotism and "favouring their own," casting her as part of what they called the "Indian tech-bro" archetype.
A user with 1.7 million followers blasted Sharma's appointment. The person said: "Phil Spencer is retiring as the CEO of Microsoft Gaming. Asha Sharma was in charge of Ai in Windows Microsoft "copilot" which everyone hates. So they put her in charge of Microsoft Gaming. White men replaced by women from India. Microsoft is cooked."
Phil Spencer is retiring as the CEO of Microsoft Gaming Asha Sharma was in charge of Ai in Windows Microsoft “copilot” which everyone hates. So they put her in charge of Microsoft Gaming. White men replaced by women from India. Microsoft is cooked. pic.twitter.com/Zg3uc7ldG2
Another person wrote, "Asha Sharma is proof that Indians only hire other Indians and will continue to bring in more Indians so they can hire only kore Indians. Microsoft is soft locked by Indian H1B interests."
Sharma's elevation places her among Indian-American leaders running major US tech firms, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Alphabet's Sundar Pichai, and YouTube's Neal Mohan.
The backlash comes amid heightened scrutiny over H-1B visas and the "America First" movement, even though Sharma was born and raised in Racine, Wisconsin, and built her career through mainstream US institutions and companies.
Microsoft Gaming is valued at roughly $80 billion and spans consoles, PC, cloud gaming and a portfolio of studios that includes Activision Blizzard.
US President Donald Trump lashed out at India-linked businesses and lawyers on Saturday after the Supreme Court struck down his sweeping tariffs - and within hours, sections of his MAGA-aligned base were attacking a newly appointed Indian-American tech executive.
On Friday, the top court struck down Trump's sweeping tariffs imposed under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), ruling 6–3 that the law did not grant the president authority to tax imports. The justices held that the power to impose tariffs lies with Congress.
Also read: 'Seems hard to rely on': Top lawyer behind SC blow questions Trump's 15% tariff authority again
Within hours, Trump criticised the ruling, calling the court's majority "lapdogs for the radical left" and "fools" who were "unpatriotic and disloyal to our Constitution."
He also attacked the plaintiffs in the case, including Chicago-based Learning Resources, a small family-owned toy company that imports educational toys, STEM kits and classroom supplies from India.
"I know the people that brought the lawsuit...they're major sleazebags...they're un-American slime balls who want to see our country fail," Trump said at a news conference at the White House.
Learning Resources, along with hand2mind and other plaintiffs, had challenged Trump's use of IEEPA to impose double-digit tariffs on nearly every country.
The apex court consolidated the cases. Neal Katyal, the Indian-American attorney who argued before the court, represented the Liberty Justice Center, which fronted for several affected businesses. After a coin toss determined who would present arguments, Katyal secured what he later described as a "complete and total victory."
Another Indian-American lawyer, Pratik Shah, served as lead counsel for Learning Resources and hand2mind.
Company executives said Learning Resources had paid $14 million in tariff charges in 2025, pushing the firm close to bankruptcy. The business imports products such as Do-It-Yourself science kits, Montessori-style wooden toys and sensory tools from Indian manufacturers, including Funskool and Lighthouse Learning.
Despite the ruling, Trump moved quickly and announced he would raise a global tariff to 15 per cent, up from the 10 per cent rate unveiled a day earlier. This 15% tariff he has announced using a different statutory authority.
On the same day, Microsoft's Asha Sharma came under fire from Trump's MAGA crowd. Sharma has been named as executive vice president and CEO of Microsoft's gaming division. She previously led product development for AI models and services at Microsoft.
Almost immediately, MAGA-aligned voices recycled claims of corporate nepotism and "favouring their own," casting her as part of what they called the "Indian tech-bro" archetype.
A user with 1.7 million followers blasted Sharma's appointment. The person said: "Phil Spencer is retiring as the CEO of Microsoft Gaming. Asha Sharma was in charge of Ai in Windows Microsoft "copilot" which everyone hates. So they put her in charge of Microsoft Gaming. White men replaced by women from India. Microsoft is cooked."
Phil Spencer is retiring as the CEO of Microsoft Gaming Asha Sharma was in charge of Ai in Windows Microsoft “copilot” which everyone hates. So they put her in charge of Microsoft Gaming. White men replaced by women from India. Microsoft is cooked. pic.twitter.com/Zg3uc7ldG2
Another person wrote, "Asha Sharma is proof that Indians only hire other Indians and will continue to bring in more Indians so they can hire only kore Indians. Microsoft is soft locked by Indian H1B interests."
Sharma's elevation places her among Indian-American leaders running major US tech firms, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Alphabet's Sundar Pichai, and YouTube's Neal Mohan.
The backlash comes amid heightened scrutiny over H-1B visas and the "America First" movement, even though Sharma was born and raised in Racine, Wisconsin, and built her career through mainstream US institutions and companies.
Microsoft Gaming is valued at roughly $80 billion and spans consoles, PC, cloud gaming and a portfolio of studios that includes Activision Blizzard.