Trump defends tariffs after federal court ruling, thanks Obama-appointed judge
Trump argues that without his tariffs, America would lose trillions of dollars and its military would be ‘instantly obliterated’
In a post on his Truth Social handle, Trump argued that without the steep tariffs, the American economy would have been destroyed and its military would be “obliterated”.
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Trump justifies tariffs
“Without Tariffs, and all of our TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS we have already taken in, our Country would be completely destroyed, and our military power would be instantly obliterated.”
While slamming the court’s majority decision, Trump, however, praised one judge, who was appointed by the Barack Obama administration, for siding with him on his tariffs.
“In a 7 to 4 Opinion, a Radical Left group of judges didn’t care, but one Democrat, Obama appointed, actually voted to save our Country. I would like to thank him for his Courage! He loves and respects the USA,” he posted.
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What the court ruled
The president’s post came days after a federal appeals court ruled on Friday ruled that Trump had no legal right to impose sweeping tariffs but left in place for now his effort to build a protectionist wall around the American economy.
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled Trump wasn't legally allowed to declare national emergencies and impose import taxes on almost every country on earth, largely upholding a May decision by a specialized federal trade court in New York.
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But the court tossed out a part of that ruling striking down the tariffs immediately, allowing his administration time to appeal to the Supreme Court.
The decision complicates Trump's ambitions to upend decades of American trade policy completely on his own. Trump has alternative laws for imposing import taxes, but they would limit the speed and severity with which he could act. His tariffs – and the erratic way he's rolled them out – have shaken global markets, alienated US trading partners and allies and raised fears of higher prices and slower economic growth.