As the U.S. Supreme Court moves to rule on the legality of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariff policies, Trump said on the 6th (local time) that "if we lose (at the Supreme Court), it would be devastating for the United States."
That day, at the White House, after he released a deal with global pharmaceutical companies to cut prices of obesity treatments, Trump was asked by reporters, "If the government loses at the Supreme Court, what alternative plan do you have?" He immediately answered, calling the case "one of the most important in American history."
Trump repeatedly argued that a tariff is not a simple tax but a key tool to protect U.S. interests and security. "A tariff is a means to defend our country," Trump said, adding, "Too many things at the national security level revolve around tariffs."
He highlighted as his biggest achievement that the administration used tariffs as leverage to strike massive trade deals. "Thanks to tariffs, we finalized trade deals worth $950 billion with the European Union (EU), $650 billion with Japan, and $350 billion with South Korea," Trump said, citing specific figures.
He stressed, "Such enormous money would never have come in without tariffs." He went on, "Tariff policy made America fair again, and if the Supreme Court takes this authority away, the United States will be completely defenseless against other countries' tariff attacks." He added, "If we lose the authority to impose tariffs, we may have to return the trillions of dollars we have earned (through lawsuits and the like)."
Trump also said an alternative is needed in case the Supreme Court hands down an unfavorable ruling. Assessing the government's arguments at the hearing on the 5th the previous day, Trump said, "I think we did very well (in the arguments)," but added, "I think we need to have a 'game two plan.'"
Experts noted a shift in Trump's comments about who bears tariff burdens. He had long insisted that "foreign countries pay tariffs entirely." That claim directly conflicts with the prevailing view in economics that part of the tariff expense is passed on to consumers in the country imposing the tariff.
That day, a reporter brought up that Chief Justice John Roberts had said in court the day before that "tariffs are effectively a tax paid by Americans," and asked Trump if he agreed.
Trump immediately drew a line, saying, "I do not agree," but stepped back slightly by adding, "I think they (American consumers) may be paying something." Major outlets including Reuters assessed this as effectively his first admission that Americans are bearing part of the tariffs. Trump, however, maintained the policy's legitimacy, saying, "Considering the overall effect, the United States is seeing tremendous benefits."
Meanwhile, Trump pushed back squarely against the Democratic Party's attack that he failed to control prices and lost public support. The rebuttal came as some said Democrats scored a landslide by focusing on "affordability" in the Nov. 4 elections for New York mayor and the governors of Virginia and New Jersey.
Citing Walmart's statistics on this year's Thanksgiving grocery expenses, Trump argued that "prices are down 25% from last year, which was under the previous Joe Biden administration." He said, "Our administration has done a great job on affordability, and the Democrats were terrible."
Trump added, "Except for beef, prices for everything, including gasoline, have fallen compared with the Biden administration," and said, "I am angry that the ruling Republican Party is not actively talking about these achievements."