Tariffs on imports from other countries are central to President Trump’s economic policy. But lower courts ruled he went too far in imposing them.
Are President Trump’s tariffs too big to fail at the Supreme Court?
Reporter Maureen Grope explains the importance of the Supreme Court hearing the tariff case that could define President Trump’s term in office.
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump says he will not attend Supreme Court oral arguments on the legality of tariffs on imports from other countries.
The justices will hear arguments on Nov. 5, and Trump has said the case is so important that he may make history as the first sitting president to appear before the high court. But President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Nov. 2 that he “doesn’t want to do anything to distract from the importance” of the decision.
“I will not be in court on Wednesday because I don’t want to distract from the importance of this decision,” Trump said in a social media post on Nov. 2. “In my opinion, this will be one of the most important and consequential decisions ever handed down by the Supreme Court of the United States.”
President Trump’s tariffs on countries around the world are projected to generate $4 trillion for governments over the next 10 years. The tariffs prompted countries to negotiate trade deals with President Trump and persuaded companies to build more manufacturing in the United States.
But a lower court ruled that Trump overstepped his authority to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, which has historically been used to impose economic sanctions and other penalties on foreign enemies.
