Why Republicans are 'quietly applauding' a court decision against Trump

30 May

A portrait of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan hangs behind U.S. President Donald Trump as he answers questions from members of the news media in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 28, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis

Republican lawmakers are happy the courts are doing what they can’t after they stymied President Donald Trump’s tariff war with U.S. trade partners. The decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade now sits in appeal and U.S. port officials will keep collecting tariffs, but the decision appears to have put a countdown on tariffs that have upset world markets.

A second federal court followed up with another decision that the White House cannot unilaterally impose tariffs, and the Hill reports many members of Trump’s Republican Party are hoping Trump “takes a political win” and accepts the court decisions as an off-ramp from the damage without admitting defeat.

“I’m sure that Republican senators are secretly rooting for the Supreme Court to uphold the lower-court decision,” said Brian Darling, a GOP strategist and former Senate aide, who added that GOP lawmakers are “quietly applauding the decision” by the two courts “because it saves them from having to deal with the tariff issue, which has proven to be unpopular.”

“They’re very happy about the decision as long it takes it off the table for a long period of time and doesn’t commence another round of tariffs by different means,” Darling said.

The Hill reports the courts are “taking actions that most Republicans couldn’t” given the fear Republican officials have about publicly opposing Trump.

“Most Republican senators have no reason to go and talk about a tariff decision that blocks tariffs because they know it’s not going to go over well on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,” Darling told the Hill.

Republican criticism of the White House has mostly been muted since Trump reclaimed the office in January. Many of those who have spoken against tariffs do so softly. The Hill reports Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has “long expressed skepticism of using tariffs,” but has also urged his constituents to give Trump time “to see what kind of deals he can strike.”

The Hill reports Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) wanted Trump to show progress on trade deals before the end of June to or risk Republicans facing political headwinds in midterms, but added Tillis also must “tread carefully on the issue as he faces a potential primary challenge next year.”

The Hill has the full report at this link.

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