Whiplash on Tariffs
It really does depend on the time of day to know what is happening.
The May 29 ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit comes a day after the United States Court of International Trade invalidated his use of the the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 to impose tariffs.
But the three-judge panel of the Court of International Trade unanimously found that IEEPA, which Trump invoked to unilaterally enact duties on foreign goods, “does not authorize” the tariffs and ordered them halted.
A setback to hi famous tariff impositions, one would think – but:
An appeals court ruled President Donald Trump can continue to levy tariffs while challenging a court order that had blocked them, a quick reversal that allows Trump to keep wielding his trademark economic tool in the short term.
The May 29 ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit comes a day after the United States Court of International Trade invalidated his use of the the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 to impose tariffs.
So Wednesday he couldn’t, Thursday he could…who knows what will happen before you read this Friday? Hard to say what any given court will do, which reflects poorly on the court system. In theory the Executive Branch should rely on the judiciary to determine without bias what is legal and what isn’t – we all know that in practice, biased judges and judge-shopping make that hope an empty one.
The surprise ruling by the trade court had threatened to kill or at least delay the imposition of Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs on most U.S. trading partners, as well as import levies on goods from Canada, Mexico and China related to his accusation that the three countries were facilitating the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.
Tariffs are a centerpiece of Trump’s second-term economic agenda. The president has imposed steep levies on goods from foreign countries, igniting international furor, disrupting the global economy, sending markets into a tailspin and raising fears of a recession. USA Today
Dow’s only at 42,000, where it has been holding for some time. The “Trump bump ” around his inauguration didn’t last, but absent a few ugly days, it seems that much of the market is just shrugging off many of the tariff threats. (It is said that in response to the repeated “We are going to launch a yuge tariff on XXX, no we’re not”, that traders are betting that whatever he threatens, he will not follow through. Supposedly the mantra is “Trump Always Chickens Out – TACO.)The Hill
Not quite as vituperative as “Let’s Go Brandon” but to someone with Trump’s ego, not a phrase he is going to like.
Category: Trump!
“Government is the last refuge of the nincompoop”, and those Federal Judges are proving that.
Living proof of the Peter Principle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_principle
Too many damned laws.
Funny that they are saying Trump always “Chickens Out”. From what I have seen, not admitting to have seen them all, it has been the other side that blinks. He has threatened tariffs and the other side have capitulated to his demands in order to avoid them.
The times he has not not followed through has usually been due to some court mandated reversal.
If they think that Trump won’t follow through, maybe they should try him and find out? I hear there is a saying about that too “FAFO”!
The most neutral explanation possible is that, for Wall Street, Trump threatens tariffs… and then they don’t happen. So TACO is simply the trading equivalent of “Nothin’ is gonna happen” with those threats. Whether that’s because Trump ‘chickens out’ or the other side ‘makes a deal’ is immaterial.
Where you and I will disagree is that you seem to see the other side caving, and Trump certainly claims that… but if I had a nickel for every time Trump claimed something that wasn’t true, Elon Musk would only be the second richest person in the world.
I seem to remember when the first tariffs were publicized, there were supposed to be something like 50 countries which had caved, given in, whatever. Don’t recall any firm announcements since, but really have not been looking too hard – one would think that, at minimum, Fox would be trumpeting the good news?
Sun Tzu highly recommends unpredictability.
“What the F is that crazy SOB gonna do next?” is an art form in the accomplished and aged person.
Love it.
Coming soon to news headlines near you…”Tariffs are RAAAYYCIIISS!” Only card TPTB haven’t played yet. Watch
The Left is screaming about how “wrong” it is to impose tariffs, but somehow forgets that Trump is matching the tariffs our “allies” put on US goods. Its not the 50’s or 60’s anymore. These countries have recovered from WW2. Hell, The Marshall Plan, paid for by the US, rebuilt the countries/economies of these countries that are imposing tariffs on the US. No previous POTUS had the gumption to try and level the playing field.
Nobody complained about Trump 1.0, nor when FJB continued or added to the tariffs imposed by Trump.
Trump 2.0 threatens their fifedom, and that can’t be allowed.
Continuation of Trump-era tariffs: The Biden administration largely kept in place the tariffs that were imposed by the Trump administration on a wide range of Chinese goods.
New tariffs and targeted approach: The Biden administration also imposed new tariffs on specific strategic sectors, including:
Steel and Aluminum: Tariffs increased to 25%.Semiconductors: Tariffs increased to 50%.Electric Vehicles: Tariffs increased to 100%.Batteries and Critical Minerals: Tariffs increased to 25%.Solar Cells: Tariffs increased to 50%.Ship-to-Shore Cranes: Tariffs increased to 25%.Medical Products: Tariffs increased to 50%.
Rationale for tariffs: The Biden administration stated that these tariffs were necessary to protect American workers and businesses from China’s unfair trade practices, including forced technology transfers, intellectual property theft, and overcapacity.”
A Constitutional crisis is brewing, and Chief Justice Roberts is responsible for much (not all) of it.
More ammo.
If I was the Trumpster, I would send all those soros appointed 1000+ judges letters to shut the fuk up as you ass-Holes don’t run the country. the executive branch does and if you call me a Nazi, I’ll act like one and give you a taste of
ZYKLON B. Know what I mean Assholes.
Right now, Trump is ranting not about Soros-appointed judges, but ones recommended by the Federalist Society:
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/29/trump-goes-after-leonard-leo-and-the-federalist-society-in-fury-over-court-ruling-00375813
And in terms of the US Court of International Trade that ruled against the tariffs, the judges were appointed by Reagan, Obama and Trump .. I’m not sure how Soros factors in to that.
Probably also best not to, you know, embrace the Nazis either, but hey, you do you.
I heard Lars Larson talking about the Fed Society about 20 minutes ago on the radio, and I don’t embrace the nazis. I always called Her bide a nazi because of him weaponizing the justice dept.and I’m not left of center like you. See you Later Alligator.
Geee, how did the country run itself pre-WWI, before the 16th Amendment, when the Gooberment ONLY had tariffs as its income?
(tongue firmly planted in BOTH cheeks)
I’ll take “what is without entitlement programs for $1000”.