President Donald Trump said Friday that he won’t give up on tariffs after a major rebuke from the Supreme Court: Instead, he will sign an executive order imposing a new 10% global tariff.
Trump said he was “deeply disappointed” in the court’s 6-3 ruling, which blocked him from unilaterally implementing tariffs using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. But he also said it had made him “more powerful” — and that there were plenty of other options to continue his tariff agenda.
“The good news is that there are methods, practices, statutes and authorities as recognized by the entire court in this terrible decision, and also recognized by Congress, which they referred to, that are even stronger than the IEEPA tariffs available to me, the president of the United States,” Trump said at a press conference where he also lambasted the Supreme Court and insinuated justices who sided against him may be corrupt.
The Trump administration is turning to Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to levy the new tariffs. Section 122 allows the U.S. to place tariffs of up to 15% for as long as 150 days on countries whose trade with the U.S. is unjustifiably imbalanced.
After 150 days, Trump will need Congress’ approval to keep the tariffs in place — putting the deadline several months before the midterm elections.
Trump said the administration will also expand its use of Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which allows the U.S. to initiate sector-specific tariffs on the import of goods that threaten national security, as well as other trade statutes.
The president expressed disgust for the six Supreme Court justices who sided against him. Trump said he was ashamed of certain justices, calling “Democrats” on the court “a disgrace to our nation” and those who voted against him “fools and lap dogs for the RINOs and the radical-left Democrats.”
He also aimed his fire at the two justices he nominated who joined the majority opinion: Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch.
“I think it’s an embarrassment to their families,” Trump said of Barrett and Gorsuch.
Without presenting evidence, he accused the court of being swayed by foreign interests.
“They’re very unpatriotic and disloyal to our Constitution,” Trump said. “It’s my opinion that the court has been swayed by foreign interests and a political movement.”
The White House had been anxiously awaiting the ruling from the Supreme Court, a reflection of how important tariffs have to the president’s economic agenda.
“This was an important case to me,” the president said, “as a symbol of economic national security. And for the wealth of the nation.”
He railed on the ruling, suggesting that it was hypocritical and nonsensical.
“I am allowed to cut off any and all trade or business with that same country. In other words, I can destroy the trade. I can destroy the country,” the president said, “but I can’t charge them a little fee.”
Using IEEPA as its justification, Trump has leveled double-digit tariffs on dozens of countries, beginning with the administration’s “Liberation Day” tariffs in April of last year. Under the second Trump administration, average duties have been at their highest levels since the 1930s — without a single vote from Congress.
Beyond Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s dissent — which was praised by Trump — the opinion does not address the matter of refunds. Trump did not make a firm commitment to refunding the importers who are already suing the U.S. for their money back.
“We’ll end up being in court for the next five years,” Trump said.
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