Donald Trump holds up his chart of made-up tariff numbers in the Rose Garden of the White House, Washington, D.C., April 2, 2025 (Chip Somodevilla/Getty)
EA on TVP World: Europe Deals with Trump’s Tariff Chaos
EA on International Media: “Economically Illiterate” Trump Unleashes His Tariffs
I joined RTE Radio 1’s Morning Ireland on Friday to explain and evaluate the challenge in the courts to Donald Trump’s tariffs chaos.
On Wednesday night, the US Trade Court ruled that Trump could not use the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose his global tariffs as well as specific tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China.
On Thursday night, a federal appeals court ruled that the tariffs could remain while it considers the merits of the case and the Trade Court’s ruling. It asked for both sides to file briefs by early June.
If the appeals court says Trump cannot impose these tariffs and has overstepped his authority, then you face the tariffs being withdrawn — but you also face the possibility of this going all the way to the Supreme Court.
I explain the immediate significance: the economic damage of uncertainty around trade, investement, and financial markets. And I emphasize the wider context — the Trump Administration’s pursuit of autocracy by denouncing, vilifying, and seeking to break the US judicial system.
The Trump Administration, in the words of Stephen Miller, is saying that a “judicial coup” is underway.
What they mean is that they don’t recognize the authority of the courts: “We don’t recognize that the courts can tell us what we may or may not do.”
If they get away with that, it sweeps away the US system of checks and balances. Tariffs are just one part of that fight.
