U.S. President Donald Trump stated on January 20 during a press conference that he is 'anxiously' awaiting a Supreme Court ruling on the legality of his administration's global tariffs. He defended the levies for bolstering national security and federal revenue while noting that a potential refund process in case of a loss could be complicated. The Supreme Court did not issue a decision on the tariff case that day.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on January 20 in Washington during a press conference on his first-year achievements that he is 'anxiously' awaiting a Supreme Court ruling on the legality of his administration's global tariffs imposed using the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) on South Korea and other trading partners. He remarked, "We've taken in hundreds of billions of dollars, and if we lose that case, it's possible we're going to have to do the best we can in paying it back." He added, "I don't know how that's going to be done very easily without hurting a lot of people, but we are waiting for that case anxiously."
Trump defended the tariff policy, stating, "We have tremendous national security because of tariffs and tremendous income we have and, by the way, no inflation." However, the Supreme Court did not issue a ruling on the tariff case that day, despite expectations for a decision as early as this week.
In August, a federal appeals court ruled that the IEEPA tariffs exceeded presidential authority, affirming a lower court's May decision. The administration has imposed 15 percent reciprocal tariffs on Korean products, reduced from 25 percent, in line with a bilateral trade and investment deal where Seoul pledged $350 billion in U.S. investments, among other commitments. In April, Trump announced the reciprocal tariffs, arguing that trade partners' tariff and non-tariff barriers caused 'large' and 'persistent' U.S. trade deficits, posing an 'unusual' and 'extraordinary' threat to national security and the economy.
During the conference, Trump highlighted deals with South Korea and Japan, saying, "(The administration) made a deal with South Korea and with Japan that gives us money, the likes of which nobody's ever seen before." The case represents a critical test for Trump's trade agenda.
