A US federal appeals court has ruled that most import tariffs imposed by former President Donald Trump are unlawful, affirming an earlier lower court decision and challenging his protectionist trade agenda.
The court determined that Trump could not rely on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a law meant to address national emergencies, to justify the higher tariffs he introduced against several trading partners. Small businesses and Democratic-led states had opposed Trump’s sweeping trade powers, arguing that only Congress has the constitutional authority to impose taxes and tariffs.
In May, a federal court agreed with these challenges, declaring that many of Trump’s tariffs were invalid. The ruling stated that the law does not grant the president “unlimited authority” to wage a global trade war, according to US media reports.
The case specifically concerns Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariffs on foreign goods entering the US, which ranged between 10% and 50% depending on the country. However, tariffs imposed on certain industries, including cars, steel, and aluminium, were implemented under a different statute and are not affected by this decision.
The court has allowed the contested tariffs to remain in place until 14 October, giving the Trump administration an opportunity to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court. Trump has already announced on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he plans to seek “the help of the Supreme Court,” while criticising the appeals court as “highly partisan.”
The former president expressed confidence that he would prevail, warning of dire consequences if the decision stands. “If this ruling is upheld, it could literally destroy the United States,” Trump stated.
