Donald Trump, Supreme Court, tariffs, IEEPA, Truth Social, trade war, tariff refunds, national emergency powers, International Emergency Economic Powers Act
Trump Panics: Says US “Can’t Pay” Hundreds of Billions in Tariff Refunds if Court Rules Against Him (Image: File)
WASHINGTON, D.C., January 13 — President Donald Trump declared the United States would be “screwed” if the Supreme Court rules he overstepped his authority in imposing sweeping tariffs, warning in a social media post that the government could be forced into a financially catastrophic effort to refund hundreds of billions of dollars. The public pressure campaign comes as the Court nears a decision that could redefine presidential trade powers.
In a Truth Social post on Monday, President Trump argued that repaying tariffs already collected would be a “complete mess” and “almost impossible for our Country to pay.” He claimed direct refunds could reach “many Hundreds of Billions of Dollars,” and when including broader economic impacts—like investments made by companies to avoid tariffs—the total cost could balloon into the trillions. “It would take many years to figure out what number we are talking about,” he wrote.
The Supreme Court is poised to rule on whether President Trump had the legal authority to impose major tariffs using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a national security law. Many of his signature tariffs were enacted under this authority. Lower courts have already deemed these tariffs illegal, setting the stage for a high-stakes Supreme Court decision that could be delivered as early as this Wednesday.
A ruling against the administration would affirm that the president lacked the authority to levy these tariffs under IEEPA. Legally, this could trigger an obligation for the U.S. government to refund the revenues collected under those specific tariffs to importers who paid them. This prospect is the core of Trump’s public warnings about financial and logistical chaos.
Trump framed the potential ruling as a national security and economic disaster. In his post, he called the tariffs a “National Security bonanza” and stated bluntly, “If the Supreme Court rules against the United States of America on this... WE’RE SCREWED!” His argument suggests that beyond the direct refunds, unraveling the tariffs would destabilize investments and industries that reconfigured supply chains based on his trade policies.
A decision could come as early as Wednesday, though the Court’s schedule is not public. The ruling is anticipated in the coming weeks as the Court concludes its current session. The case represents one of the most significant tests of presidential emergency powers in the realm of trade and economic policy.
