The White House on Thursday blasted what it called an abuse of judicial power after multiple federal courts blocked sweeping tariffs President Trump had imposed on imports, and it called on the Supreme Court to step in.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt argued the judges on the U.S. Court of International Trade “brazenly abused their judicial power to usurp the authority of President Trump” after the three-judge panel blocked a series of tariff announcements dating back to February.
As Leavitt took to the podium, a second federal court blocked the bulk of Trump’s tariffs, ruling he cannot claim unilateral authority to impose them by declaring emergencies over trade deficits and fentanyl.
Leavitt argued Trump’s sweeping tariffs, which included duties on imports from Canada and Mexico, as well as broader “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of countries, were intended to address a threat to national security and the economy.
The press secretary asserted that Trump was acting under proper legal authority and was delivering on his promise to address long-standing trade deficits. Trump’s rationale for the tariffs was “legally sound,” she said.
“The courts should have no role here. There is a troubling and dangerous trend of unelected judges inserting themselves into the presidential decisionmaking process,” Leavitt said. “America cannot function if President Trump, or any president for that matter, has their sensitive diplomatic or trade negotiations railroaded by activist judges.”
The administration has already filed an emergency motion for a stay pending appeal, Leavitt said.
“But ultimately the Supreme Court must put an end to this for the sake of our Constitution and our country,” she said.
The federal rulings block Trump’s April 2 “Liberation Day” tariffs, which placed a 10 percent levy on all imports along with higher “reciprocal” tariffs for dozens of countries. The rulings also block earlier orders that imposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. Many had already been adjusted or delayed as stocks fell and Treasury yields rose in the wake of Trump’s trade shifts.
The decision did not impact sector-specific tariffs on automobile imports and steel and aluminum tariffs.
Leavitt’s rhetoric on Thursday echoed the same types of attacks on the judiciary branch that the White House has levied in the face of numerous rulings and nationwide injunctions that have blocked administration policies on immigration, federal funding and more.
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