Officials from US President Donald Trump’s administration have urged a court to uphold the tariff power, which the Republican leader utilised in imposing reciprocal tariffs on all its global trading partners. The Trump administration officials warned that a legal setback in the case could change the course of an “asymmetric” trade truce with China, and revive India-Pakistan conflict, SCMP reported. The report added that Trump officials have claimed the US president utilised his tariff power to broker a ceasefire between India and Pakistan earlier in May, after both the neighbours were involved in a conflict when Pakistan-based terrorists attacked and killed 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22. The US government officials told the court that trade negotiations regarding tariff and other key aspects were underway with dozens of countries and remain in a “delicate state” with July 7 as the deadline to finalise the trade deals. Some of those who submitted their statements to New York-based Court of International Trade on Friday, include Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. A lawsuit was filed against the Trump administration’s tariff policies by a coalition of small American businesses. A three-judge bench of the court is due to decide whether Trump’s use of “national emergency” to justify the tariffs was legally valid. Secretary Lutnick told the court if it takes an injunction over Trump’s tariff powers then it would “collapse ongoing trade negotiations, allow for Chinese aggression during a period of strategic competition, leave the American people exposed to predatory economic practices.” Lutnick also claimed that tariff powers made Trump broker a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, adding “Allies and adversaries alike monitor US courts for signs of constraint on presidential power,” citing India-Pakistan ceasefire as a direct response to US intervention, SCMP reported. Indian officials have categorically denied that Trump administration's trade or tariff measures led to the cessation of hostilities with Pakistan. The Indian government stated that while US Vice President JD Vance spoke to PM Narendra Modi on May 9, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on May 8 and 10, and to NSA Ajit Doval on May 10 but trade was never a part of these discussions. (with inputs from South China Morning Post)
