Trump Tariff: US President Donald Trump has warned that trillions of dollars in investment could evaporate if American courts strike down his tariff policy. Posting on Truth Social, he claimed that tariffs had secured more than $15 trillion in promised investment into the United States.
“If a Radical Left Court is allowed to terminate these Tariffs, almost all of this investment, and much more, will be immediately cancelled,” he wrote. Trump argued that removing the duties would risk turning the US into a “Third World Nation” with no path to “greatness”.
“More than 15 Trillion Dollars will be invested in the USA, a RECORD. Much of this investment is because of Tariffs. If a Radical Left Court is allowed to terminate these Tariffs, almost all of this investment, and much more, will be immediately cancelled! In many ways, we would become a Third World Nation, with no hope of GREATNESS again. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!!!”, reads Trump’s post on Truth Social.
US court declares Trump tariffs unlawful
The controversy follows a significant ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. In a 7–4 decision last week, the judges concluded that Trump’s tariffs imposed under emergency powers were illegal. The court stated that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) was never intended to authorise tariffs.
This decision upheld a May judgment from the Court of International Trade. However, the levies remain in place for now, as the appeals court did not order their immediate removal, keeping uncertainty alive for businesses and trading partners.
Implications for India and others
In August, Trump imposed a 50% punitive tariff on Indian goods, citing Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil. This has triggered concerns among Indian exporters, who hoped the ruling might provide relief.
Yet trade lawyer Mollie Sitkowski of Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP explained that the judgment does not directly apply to tariffs on India or Brazil. She noted that these duties were imposed under different provisions of the emergency law, alongside the removal of the $800 de minimis exemption for small imports. For now, those measures remain untouched.
The ruling has cast doubt over trade deals worth trillions of dollars negotiated during Trump’s presidency. Wendy Cutler, a former senior US trade negotiator now with the Asia Society Policy Institute, told Bloomberg that international partners “must be dazed and confused”.
She pointed out that while some countries signed framework agreements under the shadow of tariffs, others are still negotiating with the US uncertain whether the duties will survive or collapse in the courts.