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What will Trump do if US Supreme Court strikes down global tariffs? Top aide reveals
The Supreme Court could rule on the tariffs in the coming weeks, and possibly as early as Tuesday.
3 min readJan 19, 2026 11:21 PM IST
First published on: Jan 19, 2026 at 09:52 PM IST
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The challenge to the levies being weighed at the Supreme Court marks a major test of presidential powers. (Photo: AP) Days after US President Donald Trump claimed that it would be “impossible” for the country to pay back the money collected as tariffs, a top aide has revealed what the administration would do if the Supreme Court struck down the president’s order.
India is one of the countries facing the highest tariffs at 50 per cent. While half of this is part of Trump’s Liberation Day reciprocal tariffs for almost all US trade partners, the other 25 per cent is over New Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil.
Trump claims authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to slam tariffs on countries across the globe. The SC could give its rulings in the coming weeks, possibly as early as Tuesday.
What had Trump said previously
Just in the previous week, Trump had warned that “if the Supreme Court rules against the United States of America on this National Security bonanza, WE’RE SCREWED!”.
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Warning that it would be a “complete mess, and almost impossible for our Country to pay,” Trump said that “Anybody who says that it can be quickly and easily done would be making a false, inaccurate, or totally misunderstood answer to this very large and complex question”.
He added: “It may not be possible but, if it were, it would be Dollars that would be so large that it would take many years to figure out what number we are talking about and even, who, when, and where, to pay. Remember, when America shines brightly, the World shines brightly. In other words, if the Supreme Court rules against the United States of America on this National Security bonanza, WE’RE SCREWED!”
What Trump’s aide revealed
A top Trump aide, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, told the New York Times in an interview that if the SC forces the government to wind down the import taxation regime, it would go right back and enact new tariffs almost immediately.
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Greer said the process to slap fresh tariffs would “start the next day”, the Times reported.
The legal challenge to the levies being examined by the Supreme Court is a major test of presidential powers as well as of the court’s willingness to check some of the Republican president’s far-reaching assertions of authority.
The Trade Representative’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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