The U.S. court has issued a surprising ruling on Donald Trump’s tariffs, following criticism that the president is “chickening out.”
Since returning to the White House in January as the 47th President, Trump has introduced a sweeping array of tariffs.
These moves have triggered a global trade war, with countries like China and members of the European Union facing significant sanctions.
Although Trump has announced these policies with conviction, he has faced legal hurdles in getting some of them approved. Nonetheless, the Republican leader has remained determined to push forward with his agenda.
Trump branded April 2 as ‘Liberation Day’ for the US as he unveiled a series of tariffs affecting countries across the globe.
Trump has been on a tariff mission (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
But in recent hours, The Manhattan-based Court of International Trade has ruled the tariffs cannot go ahead as Trump does not have the authority to impose tariffs on nearly every country across the globe.
The court states the president overstepped his authority by using a 1977 federal economic emergency law, as it doesn’t state tariffs as a tool available for the president to protect the US from economic threats.
The US Court of International Trade ruled the rule ‘does not authorise’ Trump to impose the tariffs.
Trump’s administration has since responded by saying they plan to appeal the ruling.
White House deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai said in a statement: “It is not for unelected judges to decide how to properly address a national emergency.
“President Trump pledged to put America First, and the Administration is committed to using every lever of executive power to address this crisis and restore American Greatness.”
Donald Trump is appealing the ruling (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Many have pointed out Trump’s tendency to introduce high tariffs on countries before lowering them, which has led to an acronym of ‘TACO’ said by The Financial Times’ Robert Armstrong, which stands for ‘Trump Always Chickens Out’.
Trump was asked by a reporter on Wednesday (May 28) about the phrase, leading to the president looking visibly offended and dubbing the journalist’s statement as ‘nasty’.
The president said: “You call that chickening out? It’s called negotiation. [I set] ridiculous high number and I go down a little bit, you know, a little bit.
“Don’t ever say what you said. To me, that’s the nastiest question.”
The Democrats have been quick to provide their reaction to the ruling, with Ron Wyden, the senator from Oregon, saying: “I argued from the start that Donald Trump’s claim that he could simply decree sky-high new taxes on imported goods depended on mangling the Constitution beyond recognition.”
