The US court has made a surprising ruling on Donald Trump’s tariffs after the president responded to claims he’s ‘chickening out’.
Ever since the 47th POTUS retuned to the White House in January, he has introduced an awful lot of tariffs.
Such actions has led to a trade war across the world, with the likes of China and the European Union being hit with sanctions.
While Trump has announced these policies, the president has found it tricky getting some of them passed through the courts – but that hasn’t stopped the Republican leader from continuing to implement his ideas.
Trump branded April 2 as ‘Liberation Day‘ for the US as he unveiled a series of tariffs affecting countries across the globe.
Trump has been on a tariff mission (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
But in recent hours, The Manhattan-based Court of International Trade has ruled the tariffs cannot go ahead as Trump does not have the authority to impose tariffs on nearly every country across the globe.
The court states the president overstepped his authority by using a 1977 federal economic emergency law, as it doesn’t state tariffs as a tool available for the president to protect the US from economic threats.
The US Court of International Trade ruled the rule ‘does not authorise’ Trump to impose the tariffs.
Trump’s administration has since responded by saying they plan to appeal the ruling.
White House deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai said in a statement: “It is not for unelected judges to decide how to properly address a national emergency.
“President Trump pledged to put America First, and the Administration is committed to using every lever of executive power to address this crisis and restore American Greatness.”
Donald Trump is appealing the ruling (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Many have pointed out Trump’s tendency to introduce high tariffs on countries before lowering them, which has led to an acronym of ‘TACO’ said by The Financial Times’ Robert Armstrong, which stands for ‘Trump Always Chickens Out’.
Trump was asked by a reporter on Wednesday (May 28) about the phrase, leading to the president looking visibly offended and dubbing the journalist’s statement as ‘nasty’.
The president said: “You call that chickening out? It’s called negotiation. [I set] ridiculous high number and I go down a little bit, you know, a little bit.
“Don’t ever say what you said. To me, that’s the nastiest question.”
The Democrats have been quick to provide their reaction to the ruling, with Ron Wyden, the senator from Oregon, saying: “I argued from the start that Donald Trump’s claim that he could simply decree sky-high new taxes on imported goods depended on mangling the Constitution beyond recognition.”
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI
Topics: Donald Trump, Tariffs, US News, Politics
Callum Jones
Trump threatens European Union with new tariffs in scathing statement after discussions go ‘nowhere’
Trump’s tariff war continues..
The president has threatened the European Union with a series of new tariffs in scathing statement after claiming discussions have gone ‘nowhere.’
Donald Trump has threatened to impose an eye-watering 50 percent tariffs on goods from the European Union as of next month, claiming negotiation with Brussels have ground to a halt.
The move comes as the POTUS has long accused the EU of ‘ripping off’ the US, and announced on April 2 (so-called ‘Liberation Day’) that he intended to hit the trading giant with levies of 20 percent.
However, he hit pause on those plans for 90 days to allow each of the countries listed on his ‘reciprocal tariffs’ board time to negotiate.
Trump has just kicked the trade war with the EU up a notch (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Since then, Trump has made progress with deals in the UK and even China amid the escalating trade war, but apparently hasn’t managed to come to an agreement with the European Commission.
Taking to his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “The European Union, which was formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on TRADE, has been very difficult to deal with. Their powerful Trade Barriers, Vat Taxes, ridiculous Corporate Penalties, Non-Monetary Trade Barriers, Monetary Manipulations, unfair and unjustified lawsuits against Americans Companies, and more, have led to a Trade Deficit with the U.S. of more than $250,000,000 a year, a number which is totally unacceptable.”
Ursula Von der Leyen previously said the EU was open to negotiating (Omar Havana/Getty Images)
He continued: “Our discussions with them are going nowhere! Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025. There is no Tariff if the product is built or manufactured in the United States. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
His move comes as Trump has been in a bitter battle of trade tennis with his European allies, previously calling it one of the ‘most hostile and abusive taxing and tariffing authorities in the world’ in March when he threatened to increase goods like alcohol coming out of the region to 200 percent.
At the time, European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen said that Europe was ‘open to negotiations’ to try to find a satisfying middle ground.
The POTUS launched a series of tariffs on the US’ global partners in April (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“We will approach these negotiations from a position of strength. Europe holds a lot of cards, from trade to technology to the size of our market,” she said. “But this strength is also built on our readiness to take firm countermeasures if necessary. All instruments are on the table.”
The European Commission is yet to respond to the latest announcement but officials suggested there would be no comment on the matter until US-EU figures discuss later today (Friday, May 23), reports Sky News.
It also comes as Trump vowed Apple will be forced to cough up 25 percent tariffs on its iPhones unless it relocates its manufacturing into the US.
Featured Image Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty
Topics: Donald Trump, Tariffs, US News, Politics, Europe
Liv Bridge
People are sharing their receipts as Trump’s tariffs come into effect and the results are horrifying
Business owners are some of the worst affected by Trump’s hiked tariffs
Donald Trump’s tariffs are having devastating effects on businesses in the US.
Earlier this year, Trump announced a series of new tariffs on countries across the globe, including the Heard Island and McDonald Islands — one of the most remote places in the world, where only penguins and seals live.
As a result of these controversial hikes, experts and businesses have warned that Americans are likely going to have to fork out more cash than before for everyday items.
In recent days, Walmart warned its customers that it may have to up its prices.
Walmart CEO Douglas McMillon said: “We will do our best to keep our prices as low as possible. But given the magnitude of the tariffs, even at the reduced levels announced this week, we aren’t able to absorb all the pressure given the reality of narrow retail margins.”
Donald Trump announced a series of tariffs in April (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Another company that’s spoken out against Trump’s hiked levies is Wyze Cam. According to the Washington-based tech firm, it was poised to pay ‘$255,000 in tariffs and $579.23 in ‘other fees’ to import $167,000 of Wyze Cams’.
Tweeting this on May 1, the firm proceeded to share a receipt to back its claims.
GlytchTech shared a photo of its DHL invoice as well, with the company being quoted over $2,800 in tariffs on less than $2,000 worth of equipment.
READ MORE:
ALL THE ITEMS THAT’LL COST AMERICANS MORE AFTER TRUMP’S TARIFFS
Walmart has warned that it may have to increase its prices because of the tariffs (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Adafruit Industries also jumped on the bandwagon and shared a DHL receipt it had received. In a blog post, the company warned that (like Walmart) it may have to up its prices.
“We’re no stranger to tariff bills, although they have definitely ramped up over the last two months. However, this is our first ‘big bill’, where a large portion was subjected to a 125%+20%+25% import markup,” Adafruit Industries penned.
“Unlike other taxes like sales tax where we collect on behalf of the state and then submit it back at the end of the month, or income taxes, where we only pay if we are profitable, tariff taxes are paid before we sell any of the products and are due within a week of receipt which has a big impact on cash flow.”
Trump after we pay $255,000 in tariffs and $579.23 in “other fees” to import $167,000 of Wyze Cams.
It went on: “In this particular case, we’re buying from a vendor, not a factory, so we can’t second-source the items (and these particular products we couldn’t manufacture ourselves even if we wanted to, since the vendor has well-deserved IP protections). And the products were booked & manufactured many months ago, before the tariffs were in place.
“Since they are electronics products/components, there’s a chance we may be able to request reclassification on some items to avoid the 125% ‘reciprocal’ tariff, but there’s no assurance that it will succeed, and even if it does, it is many, many months until we could see a refund.”
Elsewhere, customers are already feeling the sting. One guy shared a screenshot of an order he’d placed for a Radxa Orion O6. He claimed that in December, the piece of tech was $300, but it’s now five times the price.
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla
Topics: Business, Donald Trump, Money, News, Tariffs, Technology, US News, Walmart
Niamh Shackleton
Body language expert breaks down Trump’s ‘lack of respect’ for world leaders as he makes bold claim about WW2
An expert has called out Trump for his ‘mockery’ of his allies
Donald Trump isn’t new to making bold statements, but a body language expert has suggested his movement during a speech may have showcased his ‘disdain’ for his European allies.
Donald Trump appeared to ruffle some feathers with his comments reflecting on the VE celebrations across Europe.
On May 15, Trump addressed US troops stationed in Qatar as part of his trip to the Middle East and made his feelings about the VE day celebrations pretty clear.
For those out of the loop, VE day is on May 8, also known as Victory in Europe day and marks Germany’s surrender to the Allies in World War 2.
Trump was seemingly baffled that European leaders were celebrating and US wasn’t.
He said: “A week ago, May 8, I call up a certain country and they say, ‘Oh we’re celebrating the victory of World War Two today’. And I say, ‘Oh okay.'”
Donald Trump said Europe would be speaking German or Japanese without them (Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
He continued: “I speak to one of the presidents or prime ministers or whatever. And they were so busy, ‘Oh yes we’re celebrating the victory of WW2’. And I speak to another one and they’re celebrating.
“And the fact is Russia was celebrating, France was celebrating, everyone but us.
“And we’re the ones that won the war. We won the war and they help, but without us they don’t win the war, we’re all speaking German – without us they’re speaking German and maybe a little Japanese too.”
While these words have been interpreted to be insulting to European leaders and a misrepresentation of the facts of World War 2, a body language expert has suggested the US president may have also been saying more with his movement during the speech.
🇺🇸 Donald Trump on Victory Day for WWII: Russia was celebrating. France was celebrating. Everybody was celebrating but us — and we’re the ones that won the war! They helped, but without us, they’re speaking German. Maybe a little Japanese, too.
Dr Beth Dawson argued that Trump’s posture throughout his speech appeared relax to subconsciously convey that ‘he is in control’.
She added that non-verbally it was a ‘masterclass’ in power dynamics wrapped in storytelling to amplify how he perceives his allies, with ‘condescension and disdain’.
She added: “When Trump refers flippantly to ‘one of the presidents, or prime ministers, or whatever,’ the dismissiveness is verbal as well as physical. That trailing ‘whatever’ carries a mocking undertone and shows a lack of respect and a deliberate downplaying of status.
A body language expert insisted Trump showed ‘disdain’ through his speech(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“His body language reinforces this further. As he mentions how ‘busy the other countries are’, he lifts his elbow in a casual, dismissive shrug, yet another show of dominance, indifference, and control over the narrative. He is also dismissing the other countries, and his mocking tone of voice is reinforced by the choice of language. When talking about another interaction: I spoke to another one and they were celebrating…’, The use of ‘another one’ is deliberate – he is dismissive and condescending.”
UNILAD has contacted the White House for comment.
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/diarioas
Topics: Donald Trump, World War 2, News, US News
Gerrard Kaonga
Trump makes bold claim on what global tariffs will do to income tax for 85% of US households
President Trump has insisted that the brutal global tariffs will ultimately benefit the American people
Taking to Truth Social, President Donald Trump has insisted his ongoing tariff wars with… well everyone, will ultimately benefit most Americans.
Writing on his social media platform, Donald Trump said that his tariffs will result in a reduction of income tax for households that bring in less than $200,000 a year.
According to the 2023 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, only 14.4% of households earns more than $200,000, meaning that an estimated 85.6% of households will benefit.
Trump said: “When Tariffs cut in, many people’s Income Taxes will be substantially reduced, maybe even completely eliminated. Focus will be on people making less than $200,000 a year.
Donald Trump’s latest comments haven’t inspired confidence(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“Also, massive numbers of jobs are already being created, with new plants and factories currently being built or planned. It will be a BONANZA FOR AMERICA!!! THE EXTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE IS HAPPENING!!!”
But this post hasn’t inspired total confidence from everyone.
People on Reddit recently reflected on Trump’s claims and admitted they have quite a few reservations about its effectiveness.
One person commented: “A. We are at peak employment. B. We are already manufacturing more than ever in U.S. history. C. This is insane ramblings.”
Another added: “Trump doesn’t understand – we manufacture software, design and movies not engine pistons and make a f**k ton of money from it.
With a third writing: “That’s what’s so baffling about all of this. It can’t do both. It’s impossible. How has no one on his team informed him of this. If it’s bringing jobs back it’s not raising money and if it’s raising money it’s not bringing jobs back.”
And another said: “So which is it? Countries are all making deals with him or hes using tariffs to reduce income taxes? You literally cannot have it both ways.”
Trump has repeatedly defended his economic plan since announcing the tariffs for nations across the world earlier this month.
Trump has repeatedly defended his economic plans against sceptics(SAUL LOEB / AFP)
Economists have also warned the plans could see Americans footing the bill, from their groceries to cars and even their retirement plans. But Trump has insisted his tariffs are the answer and will ultimately work out for the American people.
Earlier this month, he wrote on Truth Social: “We have massive Financial Deficits with China, the European Union, and many others. The only way this problem can be cured is with TARIFFS, which are now bringing Tens of Billions of Dollars into the U.S.A.
“They are already in effect, and a beautiful thing to behold.”
