U.S. President Donald Trump has defended his international tariffs, calling them essential for America’s “economic survival.”
In a statement posted on Truth Social on Monday, Trump claimed that the tariffs are fueling a booming economy and criticised restrictions on the U.S.’s ability to retaliate against foreign tariffs.
Trump said the United States must impose tariffs quickly in response to actions by other countries.
“If other Countries are allowed to use Tariffs against us, and we’re not allowed to counter them, quickly and nimbly, with Tariffs against them, our Country doesn’t have even a small chance of Economic survival,” Trump said.
Trump’s post on tariffs
In a separate post, Trump said the tariffs imposed by his administration have so far led to an economic boom.
“Because of Tariffs, our economy is booming!”
His comments come in the middle of ongoing legal battles over the legality of the tariffs imposed during his presidency.
The US President’s move to impose tariffs has already suffered legal setbacks, with two federal courts recently ruling his “Liberation Day” tariffs illegal or beyond presidential authority.
On May 28, the tariffs were first declared illegal by the Manhattan-based U.S. Court of International Trade.
It was then that his administration asked a U.S. Appeals Court on Monday for a pause in a court ruling challenging his tariffs.
The next day, a federal court in Washington D.C. found that the tariffs exceeded the president’s authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Court rulings on the Trump tariffs
The law is intended to allow the president deal with national security threats, but the court found that Trump’s tariff orders did not meet that threshold.
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Trump won a temporary pause on the first court ruling, allowing him to reinstate tariffs, and the court is set to rule on a longer-term pause later this month, Reuters reported.
In response, his legal team filed an appeal and secured a temporary pause on the Manhattan court’s decision, which allowed the tariffs to remain in place pending further proceedings. A U.S. appeals court is expected to rule later this month on whether the stay will be extended.
Why Trump supports the tariffs
The former president’s administration had used tariffs as a central tool in trade negotiations, especially with China, and argued that they protected American jobs and industries.
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Critics, however, say the tariffs hurt U.S. consumers and businesses by increasing import costs.
The legal rulings have added fresh scrutiny to Trump’s economic policies as he seeks a return to the White House in the 2024 election cycle.
If the courts ultimately strike down the tariffs, it could have significant implications for U.S. trade policy and presidential authority under IEEPA.
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