Trump defends tariffs after Supreme Court setback, says foreign levies could replace income tax and boost US economy. Photo: X.
US President Donald Trump, in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, described the past year as a dramatic turnaround for the United States. He spoke about his controversial tariff policies despite a recent setback from the Supreme Court.
Trump praised his tariff initiative, which has since been declared illegal by the US Supreme Court, claiming it generated hundreds of billions of dollars for the country and strengthened both economic and national security interests.
The president argued that the tariffs corrected longstanding trade imbalances.
Trump said that other countries were “ripping” the US off “very bad” for years, adding that even Democrats know that but they “just don’t want to say it.”
“Yet these countries are now happy, so are we… we made deals… deals are all done… they are now making a lot of money,” Trump said.
He also suggested that tariffs paid by foreign countries could eventually replace the “modern day system of income tax.”
Addressing the court decision striking down the tariffs, Trump described the ruling as disappointing but insisted the broader strategy would continue to succeed.
Calling the Supreme Court ruling striking down tariffs “very unfortunate”, Trump said the good news is almost all countries and corporations want to keep the deals they made knowing that the legal powers he has as a president to make a new agreement could be “far worse” for them.
“We are winning big,” he said.
“And therefore, they will continue to work along the same successful path that we have negotiated before the Supreme Court’s unfortunate involvement. So despite the disappointing ruling, these powerful country saving, it’s saving our country, the kind of money we’re taking in, peace protecting… many of the wars I settled was because of the threat of tariffs,” Trump said.
“…They’re a little more complex, but they’re actually probably better leading to a solution that will be even stronger than before. Congressional action will not be necessary.”
“It’s already time tested and approved. And as time goes by, I believe the tariffs, paid for by foreign countries, will, like in the past, substantially replace the modern day system of income tax, taking a great financial burden off the people that I love,” Trump added.
The speech was attended by all of Trump’s children, First Lady Melania Trump, and four Supreme Court justices.
Trump, who has sharply criticised the court’s decision invalidating his sweeping tariffs, came face-to-face with members of the bench during the address.
The annual speech also showed Trump’s frustration with three conservative justices who joined the court’s liberal members in the 6-3 ruling on Friday: Chief Justice John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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