Donald Trump is fretting that the Supreme Court will shoot down his signature tariffs initiative and declare it illegal.
In a panicked Truth Social post, the 79-year-old pushed the false claim that his tariffs generated $600 billion for the U.S. while suggesting there is a media blackout on their dubious benefits.
“We have taken in, and will soon be receiving, more than 600 Billion Dollars in Tariffs, but the Fake News Media refuses to talk about it because they hate and disrespect our Country, and want to interfere with the upcoming Tariff decision, one of the most important ever, of the United States Supreme Court,” Trump wrote. “Because of Tariffs, our Country is financially, AND FROM A NATIONAL SECURITY STANDPOINT, FAR STRONGER AND MORE RESPECTED THAN EVER BEFORE. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
The Supreme Court is expected to rule in the coming weeks on whether to overturn a previous ruling that declared most of Trump’s sweeping global tariffs illegal.
A lower federal appeals court found in August that the president had overstepped his authority when he cited a 1977 law—the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which is designed to address threats during a national emergency—to justify his reciprocal tariffs.
While the conservative-majority Supreme Court, including three justices nominated by Trump, has largely ruled in the president’s favor in past cases, there are growing indications that the court may not back him this time and could strike down the tariffs.
During a hearing in November, Trump-appointed Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, as well as Chief Justice John Roberts, appeared skeptical of the president’s reasoning for imposing the tariffs.
If SCOTUS were to rule against Trump, it would not only be a major embarrassment for the president but could also trigger further economic turmoil, as countries may need to be reimbursed for the billions of dollars of funds collected under Trump’s tariff plans.
Trump has posted multiple fear-mongering messages on Truth Social since the Supreme Court began hearing arguments in the case last year.
“The U.S. Supreme Court was given the wrong numbers. The ‘unwind’ in the event of a negative decision on Tariffs would be, including investments made, to be made, and return of funds, in excess of 3 Trillion Dollars,” Trump wrote in a late-night November post. “It would not be possible to ever make up for that kind of a ‘drubbing.’”
In another desperate message on January 2, Trump added: “Tariffs are an overwhelming benefit to our Nation, as they have been incredible for our National Security and Prosperity (like nobody has ever seen before!). Losing our ability to Tariff other countries who treat us unfairly would be a terrible blow to the United States of America.”
