US President Donald Trump mounted a vehement defense of his tariff policies on Wednesday — insisting that a revocation would be “devastating” for he country. The remarks came even as the Supreme Court began hearing a case questioning the legality of his tariffs and whether the POTUS had overstepped his authority.
“Well, I heard the court case went well today, but I just heard that a little while ago. But I will say this would be devastating for our country if we lost that. Devastating. I think it’s one of the most important, maybe the most, but one of the most important cases in the history of our country,” the President told Fox News.
Both conservative and liberal justices had sharply questioned the lawyer representing Trump’s administration about whether the president had intruded on the power of Congress in imposing tariffs under a 1977 law meant for use during national emergencies. But a ruling against Trump would mark a significant departure for the court — which has so far backed him in a series of decisions ranging from a crackdown on immigration to the firing of federal agency officials, and banning transgender troops.
Bessent ‘very very optimistic’
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also struck a cheerful note on Wednesday — insisting that he had returned from the Supreme Court hearing feeling “very, very optimistic”. The top official told Fox Business Network that the plaintiffs challenging Trump’s use of a 1977 law to justify tariffs had “almost embarrassed themselves” during the hearing. He also exuded confidence that the Supreme Court would reverse a lower court ruling that the tariffs were illegal.
US Supreme Court begins hearing case
US Supreme Court justices heard more than 2-1/2 hours of oral arguments on the case on Wednesday, with both conservative and liberal justices raising doubts about whether a 1977 law meant for use during national emergencies gave Trump the power to impose tariffs or whether the Republican president had intruded on the powers of Congress.
Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts told U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer, arguing for the administration, that the tariffs were “the imposition of taxes on Americans, and that has always been the core power of Congress.”
The tariffs – taxes on imported goods that are paid by importers in the United States – could add up to trillions of dollars for the U.S. government over the next decade. The U.S. Constitution gives Congress the authority to issue taxes and tariffs.