Donald Trump didn’t hold back from sharing his fears on Monday, as he candidly admitted the US will be ‘screwed’ if he loses the upcoming Supreme Court ruling on tariffs.
The court had been asked to issue a ruling on the case that would reaffirm or deny the president’s authority over trade, particularly on the sweeping global tariffs he implemented last year.
"The actual numbers that we would have to pay back if, for any reason, the Supreme Court were to rule against the United States of America on Tariffs, would be many Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and that doesn’t include the amount of 'payback' that Countries and Companies would require for the Investments they are making on building Plants, Factories, and Equipment, for the purpose of being able to avoid the payment of Tariffs,” Trump explained in a lengthy Truth Social post.
"When these Investments are added we are talking about trillions of dollars! It would be a complete mess, and almost impossible for our Country to pay."
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Since returning to the White House for his second term, Trump imposed widespread tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a 1977 law that allowed presidents to act through economic means in cases of declared national emergencies.
Trump decided to invoke the law after declaring a national emergency due to US trade deficits, with the aim of targeting over $150 billion worth of imports from countries such as China, India, Canada and the European Union.
The tariffs were pitched as a ‘reciprocal’ way to force fairer trade between countries and to encourage more companies to choose to opt for domestic manufacturing in the US instead of relying on imports.
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However, the scale of the tariffs and the politics behind the elevated numbers hitting even small nations drew widespread criticism.
It also brought a raft of further problems both for US consumers and businesses, as well as foreign allies due to complications regarding customs, as well as significantly increasing import costs.
Perhaps even more crucially, Trump’s decision to bypass congress when choosing to implement such a significant policy also drew ire from across the political divide.
Since the tariffs were rolled out, over 1000 lawsuits have been raised against the government, including from some of the country’s biggest importers.
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It also sparked a debate about the separation of powers, which took issue with the potential for the President to utilise his executive power unchecked.
The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled the tariffs illegal back in May 2025, a judgment that was upheld by the Federal Circuit in August.
The case was then passed to the Supreme Court, who were due to make a ruling on Friday, but no ruling was given.
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"Anybody who says that it can be quickly and easily done would be making a false, inaccurate, or totally misunderstood answer to this very large and complex question," Trump continued, as he referenced the impending ruling.
"It may not be possible but, if it were, it would be Dollars that would be so large that it would take many years to figure out what number we are talking about and even, who, when, and where, to pay.
"Remember, when America shines brightly, the World shines brightly. In other words, if the Supreme Court rules against the United States of America on this National Security bonanza, WE’RE SCREWED!"
Topics: Donald Trump, Tariffs
Phoebe Tonks