President Trump said Sunday he would not attend Supreme Court arguments this week in a case challenging his authority to impose sweeping tariffs on other countries after previously floating the idea.
“I will not be going to the Court on Wednesday in that I do not want to distract from the importance of this Decision,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “It will be, in my opinion, one of the most important and consequential Decisions ever made by the United States Supreme Court. If we win, we will be the Richest, Most Secure Country anywhere in the World, BY FAR. If we lose, our Country could be reduced to almost Third World status — Pray to God that that doesn’t happen!”
Trump claimed in his social media post that taking away a president’s ability to impose sweeping tariffs could lead to the “ruination of our Nation.”
The Supreme Court will consider on Wednesday whether Trump can use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose widespread blanket tariffs on imports from other countries.
Trump is the first president to have attempted to impose tariffs by invoking the statute.
Last month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in a 7-4 decision affirmed a lower court’s ruling that the tariffs were not authorized by the statute. That lawsuit was brought by five small businesses and a dozen Democratic-led states.
While economists have warned that Trump’s aggressive use of tariffs will lead to higher prices for consumers, administration officials have argued that it gives Trump leverage to negotiate trade deals.
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