WASHINGTON: A top Trump administration trade official expressed optimism Sunday that the US Supreme Court will uphold the sweeping tariffs that a lower court has struck down.
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Friday ruled that many of Trump's tariffs, which have upended global trade, were illegal because he did not have authority to impose them.
But the court allowed the levies to remain in place for now, giving Trump time to take the fight to the conservative-majority Supreme Court.
Peter Navarro, Trump’s adviser on trade issues, said on Fox News show “Sunday Morning Futures” that the 7-4 ruling against the tariffs was motivated by politics. He called the judges who voted against Trump’s signature policy “politicians in black robes.”
The dissenting opinions in this vote were “very, very strong,“ Navarro said.
“I think it provides a very clear road map to how the Supreme Court can certainly rule in our favor.”
Friday's ruling said Trump cannot impose open-ended tariffs on almost all imports into the United States, as he is trying to do.
But “we never said they were permanent,“ Navarro insisted.
“We feel very optimistic. If we lose the case, President Trump is right. It will be the end of the United States,“ he added.
The courts entered the fray following a lawsuit filed by Democratic-run states and a coalition of small import businesses.
The latter are “trying to preserve the right to import cheap Chinese crap, mostly,“ Navarro said - AFP
