Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) said Friday that the fastest way to get President Trump to act on tariffs “is to tell him he can’t” after the Supreme Court ruled that his use of emergency powers to implement a sweeping tariff agenda was unconstitutional.
In a 6-3 decision, the high court invalidated Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose high import taxes on nearly all foreign trading partners. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion that IEEPA does not apply to tariffs.
In an interview with NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich, Sanders said the court’s ruling was “not only disappointing,” but “I think it’s wrong.”
“I think justice [Clarence] Thomas is absolutely right,” she continued. “The Constitution gives the president that power. “But ultimately, I don’t think it matters. What I like about Donald Trump is that the quickest way to get him to do something is to tell him he can’t. And he has a lot of tools in his toolbox.”
The Republican governor added that Trump will “use whatever tools and resources he needs to get the job done.”
“You know, while this may dominate the news cycle for a few days, I don’t think it’s going to change the outcome and this president is going to continue to put other countries in trouble,” she said. “He will make sure American workers come first.”
Trump called the ruling “disappointing” and lashed out at Roberts and the five other justices, including his appointees Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, calling them “fools and stooges.”
“If you want to know the truth, I think it’s an embarrassment to their families. Both of them,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday.
He praised Justices Thomas, Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh and wrote the dissenting opinion. The president said he was “proud” of Kavanaugh, whom Trump appointed in 2018.
After the ruling, the president announced he would sign an executive order imposing a 10% tariff on imported products from around the world “effective immediately.” He cited Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows for the imposition of tariffs of up to 15% within 150 days to enact new tariffs to address a “large and serious” trade deficit.
The White House said Canada and Mexico are exempt from new tariffs because of the trilateral free trade agreement approved by Trump during his first term in 2020.
Some Republican members of Congress also broke with the president, hailing the Supreme Court decision as a victory for free trade, the separation of powers or both.
“Despite the uproar at the time, today’s ruling confirms that the Founders’ system of checks and balances remains strong nearly 250 years later,” Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, wrote on the social platform X.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said in his own online post that the court’s ruling “will also prevent future presidents like AOC from using emergency powers to promote socialism,” referring to potential 2028 presidential candidate Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
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