Ahead of the Supreme Court’s hearing on the legality of his tariffs on Wednesday, President Donald Trump has confirmed he will not attend, even though he really wanted to.
‘It’s Not About Me,’ But The Country
“I wanted to go so badly,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he returned to Washington after a weekend in Florida, while adding that he chose not to attend to avoid drawing attention away from the significance of the court's proceedings, according to a Reuters report.
He said he didn’t want the attention on him, adding, “It’s not about me, it’s about our country,” ahead of the Supreme Court hearing set to determine the legality of his tariffs imposed under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Tariffs Crucial For National Security
Trump once again reiterated the importance of the tariffs for national security and correcting persistent global trade imbalances.
He said, “If we don’t have tariffs, we don’t have national security, and the rest of the world would laugh at us because they’ve used tariffs against us for years and took advantage of us.”
Trump said other nations had taken advantage of the United States for years, but his administration’s tariff policies have managed to end that, while strengthening the country's national security.
Ruling Could “Literally Destroy” The US
The case ended up with the Supreme Court, after a string of lower court rulings in recent months that have blocked Trump’s use of the IEEPA to enact sweeping global tariffs on U.S. trade partners.
Trump has warned that should the Supreme Court uphold this ruling, the outcome would “literally destroy” the United States. “We'll be struggling for years to come,” he said, noting the potential economic impact of a negative ruling by the court.
Experts, however, note that the administration may already have a “backup plan” in place in case the ruling goes against them. This involves the use of other trade authorities, such as Section 122 of the Trade Act, to keep the tariffs in place.
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