WASHINGTON (AP) — There’s little that Donald Trump has cherished more in his second term than tariffs, a symbol of his imperious approach to the presidency. He has raised and lowered them at will, rewriting the rules of global commerce and daring anyone to stop him.
Now that may be over, the victim of a stunning rebuke from the Supreme Court on Friday. After more than a year of expanding his power, Trump had run into a rare limit.
It was a loss that Trump couldn't quite accept, and the president claimed he would use other laws to impose alternative tariffs. He even said that the end of this particular legal battle would bring “great certainty” to the economy.
But if anything, Friday opened a new chapter in Trump’s ongoing tariffs drama and raised urgent questions about his ability to make good on his promises of an economic revival. The ruling will most likely prolong chaos over international trade through the midterm elections, with much unknown about Trump's next steps and whether roughly $175 billion in import taxes that the Supreme Court struck down will be refunded.
The president chose, as he often does, to scorn the patriotism of those who disagree with him.
He said the ruling was “deeply disappointing” and “ridiculous,” adding that he was “absolutely ashamed” of the six Supreme Court justices who ruled against him "for not having the courage to do what’s right for our country.”
Trump described the justices as “fools and lapdogs” who are “very unpatriotic and disloyal to our Constitution.”
The president said on social media Friday night that he had signed an executive order enabling him to bypass Congress and impose a 10% tax on imports from around the world. The government would begin national security investigations in order to charge new tariffs on specific products as well. The 10% tariffs are legally capped at 150 days, but Trump brushed off a question about the limit by saying "we have a right to do pretty much what we want to do.”
All of that means Trump's tariff timelines are likely to collide with the midterm elections for control of the House and Senate.
Tariffs have been politically unpopular
Source: WPLG
