President Trump warned that any court rulings against his tariff policy would cause the country to suffer another Great Depression.
“If a Radical Left Court ruled against us at this late date, in an attempt to bring down or disturb the largest amount of money, wealth creation and influence the USA has ever seen, it would be impossible to ever recover, or pay back, these massive sums of money and honor,” Mr. Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Friday. “It would be 1929 all over again, a GREAT DEPRESSION!”
The president said, “If they were going to rule against the wealth, strength, and power of America, they should have done so LONG AGO, at the beginning of the case, where our entire Country, while never having a chance at this kind of GREATNESS again, would not have been put in 1929 style jeopardy.”
He said the U.S. would not be able to “recover from such a judicial tragedy.”
“But I know our Court System better than anyone, there is no one in history that has gone through the trials, tribulations and uncertainties such as I, and absolutely terrible, but also amazingly beautiful, things can happen. Our Country deserves SUCCESS AND GREATNESS, NOT TURMOIL, FAILURE, AND DISGRACE,” he wrote.
According to the Bipartisan Policy Institute, the U.S. has brought in nearly $130 billion in revenue from tariffs in 2025, which is double what it made from tariffs in 2024.
The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled in late May that Mr. Trump overstepped his powers by imposing sweeping tariffs on many foreign goods. Last week, federal appeals court judges remained skeptical of Mr. Trump’s tariff power after hearing the Trump administration’s appeal to the May ruling.
The court allowed the president’s two big sets of tariffs to remain in place while the case continues, but the 11-person panel still questioned whether Congress, which has the power to levy tariffs, legally gave enough of that Constitutional power away to Mr. Trump.
Brett Shumate, the Justice Department lawyer arguing the case for the Trump administration, told the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit that the tariffs are working, and forcing nations to come to the table with better trade terms. He said the president is acting under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, enacted in 1977 and gives the president power to use tariffs or sanctions when a national emergency or threat is declared.
“It gives the president leverage,” Mr. Shumate said.
One judge hit back. “IEEPA doesn’t even say tariffs,” Judge Jimmie Reyna said.
The lawyer for the groups challenging the tariffs, Neal Katyal, said Mr. Trump was making “a breathtaking claim to power.”
No ruling has been issued by the appeals court yet, and its eventual decision is expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court.
Mr. Trump has argued that the tariffs are helping America be great again, often saying that leaders from other countries have said America is the “hottest” country in the world.
Dozens of countries were hit with reciprocal tariffs Thursday.
“Billions of dollars, largely from countries that have taken advantage of the United States for many years, laughing all the way, will start flowing into the U.S.A. The only thing that can stop America’s greatness would be a radical left court that wants to see our country fail!” Mr. Trump wrote in an all-caps post shortly before midnight on Wednesday.
More than 60 countries were hit with tariffs, starting at 15%. Mr. Trump said these levies would be coming for any country that doesn’t make a trade deal with the U.S. ahead of his deadline.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.