Donald Trump on Friday presided over an irritable, rambling press conference after the Supreme Court struck down a broad swath of tariffs implemented under The International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
The court, in a 6-3 decision, ruled that the statute confers nothing like the sweeping authority Trump assumed for himself last year when he unilaterally announced the levies, upending global trade and straining already frayed relations with some of America’s closest allies.
Trump, plainly parroting a damage control message cooked up by his advisors, insisted that the ruling was actually a good thing despite his deep disappointment in the outcome. “We’ve taken the uncertainty of tariffs out,” he said. “The bottom line is that the word ‘certainty’ is now in the equation.”
Translated from Trumpspeak, the party line goes as follows. The court’s decision at least removes some of the ambiguity clouding the legality of the levies. The IEEPA end-around’s officially dead now, which is bad news for Trump. The good news, again for Trump, is that whatever excuses the administration conjures to reimplement the tariffs will be less vulnerable to legal challenges.
The first such measure is an across-the-board 10% levy under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which gives the president the authority to address “large and serious” BoP deficits with import surcharges not to exceed 15% and “for a period not exceeding 150 days.”
“We’re immediately instituting the 10% provision,” Trump said, referring to Section 122 and leaving himself 5% to play with, just in case. The new duty will be applied on top of whatever tariffs survived the court’s Friday decision.
Trump said he intends to raise just as much money — more, actually — using “other sections” including more 301 investigations, which Jamieson Greer briefly elaborated on.
“Just so you understand, we have tariffs. We just have them in a different way,” Trump told the press. “In the end, I think we’ll take in more revenue than before.”
He claimed, several times, that foreign trade representatives were actually hoping to see the IEEPA levies upheld. “Canada said ‘I hope you win this decision because you’ll be able to charge us even higher tariffs'” if you lose, Trump said.
Asked why he doesn’t just work with Congress to craft a package of trade measures aimed at addressing his concerns, Trump offered an unapologetically authoritarian rejoinder. “I don’t have to,” he said, flatly. “There’s no reason to do it.”
He went on to explain what comes next, and in doing so conceded that the IEEPA gambit was never intended to be the best way to go about justifying tariffs, only the most expedient.
“Now I’m going to go in a different direction. Probably the direction that I should have [gone] the first time,” Trump said. “But it’s a little more complicated. The process takes a little more time, but the end result is going to get us more money.”
He castigated the six justices who ruled against him on Friday, calling them, among other things, “fools,” “lapdogs,” “unpatriotic” and “disloyal to our Constitution.” Trump reserved special criticism for Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, who he mercilessly smeared as an “embarrass[ment] to their families.”
Trump also suggested the court was captured by foreign interests and unidentified “sleaze bags.” Asked if he had any evidence to back up those assertions, Trump demurred, saying only that “you’ll see.”
“I read the paragraphs. I read them very well,” Trump said, claiming to have analyzed the entirety of the court’s decision. He then lauded his own jurisprudential acumen. “[I have] great comprehension,” Trump mused, before trailing off.
When a reporter asked about American businesses demanding refunds for payments made towards tariffs the court now says were illegally implemented, Trump said, “I guess it has to get litigated.”
Another reporter wondered if the six justices who struck the tariffs down on Friday were still invited to the State of the Union address. “They’re barely invited,” Trump sneered. “I couldn’t care less if they come.”
10% is 5 ppt to 10 ppt lower than most of the just-invalidated reciprocal tariffs. Many importers should rush to bring in goods before Trump can put additional sec 301 etc tariffs in place. It may be a short window, might favor air rather than ocean. Looking forward to the refund fireworks.
So despicable that the refund has to be litigated. Complete crooks.
Don’t worry – the Trump family will do America another solid and offer payday loans in Trump coin until refunds are adjudicated.
Are we entering the “down with the corrupt courts” phase of this authoritarian project? Seems to align with the playbook they are running.
‘It’s a good thing as we have now taken uncertainty out of tariffs’ – pure Lutnick.
In my misspent youth I enjoyed Zap comics, Trump world is just as wacky. It’s an interesting sitcom idea in that its episodes are daily instead of weekly but now the repeating scripts are getting worn thin from overuse and the lead character is way too one dimensional. Time for a change as the ratings are tanking fast.
Trump really shouldn’t be tongue-lashing the Supreme Court justices, calling them unpatriotic and foreign-influenced, flaunting his defiance, etc. If there’s one body that could do damage to him, it’s the Court.
We can only hope this barrage of insults helps some of the (less incorrigible) justices see the error of their past toady ways – and do just that {damage to him}!
How come no reporter asked him if he was going to pay back all the tariff money to China and the rest of the world? He insists that the country’s are the ones paying for the tariffs. I mean that’s what he told his supporters at his MAGA rally’s. It would have be fun to see the response on that question.
The reporter would had been escorted out for sure, after Trump calls the reporter mean. LOL
Now entering the Trump Twilight Zone – aka “Dark MAGA”!
In my country there’s a joke that when you grow up you can be a doctor, a lawyer or an embarrassment to your family. Now I learn the latter two are not mutually exlusive ?