It’s difficult to take President Donald Trump seriously when he claims a “national emergency” justifies invoking extraordinary powers but then keeps kicking the can down the road on addressing the alleged emergency. That’s what he did when he unilaterally imposed tariffs on the whole world based on a wildly broad reading of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) but then delayed levies because trade negotiations are underway. At the end of the day, if it’s all about leverage when bargaining with foreign emissaries, it’s not an emergency, and the president shouldn’t be acting on his own.