Trump Decides Not to Attend SCOTUS Hearing on IEEPA
President Donald Trump won't attend the oral arguments at the Supreme Court over the legality of his use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to levy tariffs on countries around the world, he announced Nov. 2.
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He wrote on social media: "I will not be going to the Court on Wednesday in that I do not want to distract from the importance of this Decision."
He argued that if a president isn't allowed to use tariffs, "we would be defenseless! Tariffs have brought us Great Wealth and National Security in the nine months that I have had the Honor to serve as President."
The executive branch would still have the ability to impose tariffs via Section 232, Section 301 and possibly under two other never-before-used laws. However, the first two acts require an investigation and a comment period before the tariffs can go into effect, and have to apply either to a specific sector, or to a specific country.
"If a President was not able to quickly and nimbly use the power of Tariffs, we would be defenseless, leading perhaps even to the ruination of our Nation," he wrote.