President Donald Trump on Sunday railed against arguments that his sweeping global tariffs lacked a constitutional legal basis.
In April, Trump used the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to enact “Liberation Day” tariffs against a host of countries. The move was swiftly challenged in court, with the Supreme Court now considering whether Trump must have congressional signoff for such tariffs, or if the president was within his lane when he unilaterally invoked IEPPA to trigger the tariffs.
Trump issued a fiery Truth Social post over the weekend, slamming critics for questioning his power, arguing “that was not what the founders had in mind.”
“So, let’s get this straight??? The President of the United States is allowed (and fully approved by Congress!) to stop ALL TRADE with a Foreign Country (Which is far more onerous than a Tariff!), and LICENSE a Foreign Country, but is not allowed to put a simple Tariff on a Foreign Country, even for purposes of NATIONAL SECURITY,” the president questioned.
“That is NOT what our great Founders had in mind! The whole thing is ridiculous! Other Countries can Tariff us, but we can’t Tariff them??? It is their DREAM!!! Businesses are pouring into the USA ONLY BECAUSE OF TARIFFS. HAS THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT NOT BEEN TOLD THIS??? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON???” he continued.
The Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments on the Liberation Day tariffs case last Wednesday. The justices appeared skeptical of Solicitor General D. John Sauer’s arguments that the president’s tariffs under IEEPA are lawful.
IEEPA is a 1977 law that grants the president authority to regulate certain economic activity during a “national emergency.”
On April 2, Trump declared a national emergency due to concerns that there were gaping trade imbalances between the United States and other countries. He then invoked IEEPA to address the national emergency by placing tariffs on those countries to correct trade deficits.
Besides concerns that the president lacked a proper legal basis to carry out his tariff agenda, critics have argued that Trump’s sweeping protectionist policies could raise prices for consumers by undermining the principles of free and competitive trade they believe have led to the high standard of living enjoyed by U.S. citizens.
BESSENT SAYS HE’LL HAVE ‘RINGSIDE SEAT’ AT SUPREME COURT TARIFF HEARING
However, in another post on Sunday, Trump called those who are against tariffs “fools.”
“We are now the Richest, Most Respected Country In the World, With Almost No Inflation, and A Record Stock Market Price. 401k’s are Highest EVER. We are taking in Trillions of Dollars and will soon begin paying down our ENORMOUS DEBT, $37 Trillion. Record Investment in the USA, plants and factories going up all over the place. A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high-income people!) will be paid to everyone,” he wrote, alleging in a follow-up message that without tariffs, “we have none” of those benefits.