One of President Donald J. Trump’s signature trade weapons—the power to impose reciprocal tariffs under emergency authority—has just been stripped away by a federal court, threatening to upend his ongoing efforts to rewrite global trade rules in America’s favor.
In a unanimous ruling, the U.S. Court of International Trade determined that Trump’s use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to justify sweeping tariffs violated constitutional boundaries and exceeded presidential authority.
“The Worldwide and Retaliatory Tariff Orders exceed any authority granted to the President by IEEPA,” the court wrote, effectively gutting the legal framework for Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff initiative.
Trump’s reciprocal tariffs weren’t just about economics—they were leverage. Liberation Day, launched in April, introduced a baseline 10% tariff on imports from most nations, with higher rates on nations that had higher tariffs on American goods. The message was clear: You tax us, we tax you. And it worked—the United Kingdom has already signed a new trade deal, and China is still at the table.
But now, the court has put that momentum in jeopardy.
Not only were the tariffs ruled unlawful, but the court also ordered that all tariffs already collected under the orders be vacated, calling into question the financial structure underpinning Trump’s global trade realignment.
Trump had declared the tariffs under emergency powers, arguing that chronic trade imbalances and foreign protectionism amounted to a national threat. But the court was unmoved, stating that the IEEPA does not authorize tariffs as a tool for such generalized economic concerns.
BREAKING: Federal trade court blocks President Donald Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs on imports under emergency powers law. – AP
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 28, 2025
The administration has signaled its intent to appeal, but for now, the ruling neutralizes a major component of Trump’s economic playbook just as dozens of countries were preparing to enter the negotiation queue.
For working Americans who’ve spent decades watching factories shutter and jobs go overseas, Trump’s tariffs weren’t theoretical—they were a correction. Liberation Day was a declaration that the U.S. would no longer play the global trade sucker, that it was time to rebalance a rigged system that favored multinational elites and foreign exporters.
Now, that strategy is in limbo.
Trump’s opponents—both domestic and international—have always fought to blunt his trade reforms. Whether it was the Biden-era rollback of America First policies or now a court decision backed by decades of judicial deference to globalist frameworks, the establishment found its moment to strike back.
The judicial coup is out of control. https://t.co/PRRZ1zU6lI
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) May 28, 2025
This ruling isn’t just a setback for Trump—it’s a litmus test for presidential power in economic warfare. Congress has long ceded vast authority to the executive branch on trade, but the court is now drawing a sharp line, saying not all emergencies are created equal, and tariffs can’t be used as a blunt-force tool without a clear, immediate threat.
Yet the irony remains: it’s precisely those tariffs that brought foreign governments back to the table. The system may not like Trump’s methods, but the results were undeniable—new deals, revived manufacturing, and a reassertion of American sovereignty.
