Most Trump tariffs are illegal, US court rules

A United States appeals court has ruled that most of President Donald Trump’s tariffs are unconstitutional.

In a dramatic escalation of trade tensions, Trump, in April, announced sweeping global tariffs on all imports into the US, imposing a 14 percent tariff on Nigeria.

Since the announcement, Trump has doubled down — rolling back some tariffs while ratcheting others even higher.

He justified the tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which gives the president the power to act against “unusual and extraordinary” threats.

In the 7-4 decision, the court in Washington ruled that Trump had overstepped his authority in invoking the IEEPA to impose most of his tariffs.

The judges argued that the IEEPA “neither mentions tariffs (or any of its synonyms) nor has procedural safeguards that contain clear limits on the president’s power to impose tariffs”.

However, the court struck down a portion of the ruling that would have immediately cancelled the tariffs, allowing the decision to be contested at the supreme court.

In a Truth Social post, Trump declared: “ALL TARIFFS ARE STILL IN EFFECT!”

“If these Tariffs ever went away, it would be a total disaster for the Country. It would make us financially weak, and we have to be strong,” he added.

Trump expressed optimism that the tariffs would remain legally binding “with the help” of the supreme court.