White House Affirms Trump-Era Tariffs Will Remain in Place Despite Ongoing Legal Challenges

White House: Trump’s Tariffs Will Stand Despite Court Rulings

President Donald Trump’s tariffs are “not going away,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday, minimizing the impact of recent court rulings that deemed the majority of the levies illegal and temporarily halted their enforcement.

Lutnick’s comments, made during an appearance on Fox News Sunday on June 1, came just days after the U.S. Court of International Trade found that Trump overstepped his authority by invoking emergency powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 to impose reciprocal tariffs without congressional approval.

While the trade court’s decision marked a significant legal setback, a federal appeals court has since allowed the tariffs to remain in place while the case moves through the appeals process.

Lutnick expressed confidence that Trump would prevail on appeal. He also noted that, even if the courts ultimately restrict the use of the emergency powers statute, the administration has other legal avenues it could pursue to maintain the tariffs.

“Rest assured, tariffs are not going away,” Lutnick said. “The president has many other authorities—so even in the unlikely event that one is taken away, we simply invoke another, or another, or another.”

In addition to the ruling by the Court of International Trade, a federal district judge in Washington, D.C., blocked the Trump administration from collecting tariffs from two Illinois toy importers. That judge also found that the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act did not grant Trump the authority he claimed to impose the tariffs.

Addressing the ongoing legal battles, Trump posted on Truth Social Sunday:
“If the Courts somehow rule against us on Tariffs, which is not expected, that would allow other Countries to hold our Nation hostage with their anti-American Tariffs that they would use against us. This would mean the economic ruination of the United States of America!”

Amid the legal uncertainty, Trump announced on May 30 that he was doubling tariffs on steel and aluminum imports—from 25% to 50%.

“I think it cost us about a week—maybe just a week,” Lutnick said referring to the recent court rulings, emphasizing that other countries remain eager to negotiate trade deals with the United States. “Everyone came right back to the table. Talks are ongoing, and over the next few weeks, you’ll see some really first-class deals for the American worker.”

For the past two months, Trump and White House officials have touted tariffs as a key tool to secure favorable trade agreements. So far, the administration has finalized a deal with the United Kingdom, along with a temporary 90-day tariff truce with China, where both sides agreed to reduce their tariffs substantially.

However, on May 30, Trump publicly accused China of breaching that tariff agreement, escalating tensions once again.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CBS’s Face the Nation that he expects President Trump to soon hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, expressing optimism that outstanding trade issues will be “ironed out,” including disputes over critical minerals that Beijing has so far withheld from trade.

“They are withholding some of the products they had agreed to release under our agreement,” Bessent said. “It could be a glitch in the Chinese system, or it might be intentional. We’ll have a clearer picture after the president speaks with the party chairman.”

The Chinese government has stated that President Xi Jinping has not yet spoken with President Trump since his inauguration on January 20.

When asked if a meeting between the two leaders is scheduled, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, “I believe we’ll see something very soon.”