Shortly after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that the bulk of President Donald Trump's tariffs were unconstitutional, the president posted a lengthy rant on his social media platform slamming the decision and the judges. Some conservative and libertarian commentators responded to his statement with mockery.
On Friday, after the 7-4 decision was made public, Trump tore into the "highly partisan" judges who upheld a lower court ruling striking down most of his "Liberation Day" tariffs announced in April. He insisted that his unilaterally imposed import duties were both lawful and necessary for the safety of the country, and bemoaned the "enormous Trade Deficits" used to justify his tariffs.
"If allowed to stand, this Decision would literally destroy the United States of America," the president wrote.
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"If Trump can’t impose illegal tariffs, he says, it will 'literally destroy the United States of America.' This is lunatic stuff," wrote Ramesh Ponnuru, who is the editor of the conservative National Review.
"Just can't stop laughing at this insane statement," tweeted investor Mayank Seksaria, of Liberty Mutual Investments.
Roger Hunt, who is a doctoral student at Bentley University, responded to Trump's statement by writing: "I'm MAGA, but this isn't how tariffs work." Reason magazine editor at large Nick Gillespie opined that Trump was "acting like a king — King George III" and celebrated the ruling by proclaiming: "No taxation without representation!" And Patrick Jaicomo, who is a civil rights litigator at the libertarian-leaning Institute for Justice, simply posted a screenshot of Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution (which states that the power to impose tariffs exclusively belongs to Congress).
"Y'know what, I'm sick and tired of this huge trade deficit I've got with my local game store," wrote Ethan Blevins, who is a legal scholar at the conservative Pacific Legal Foundation. "I keep buying all their cards, and they never buy anything from me! Well, no longer. I'm going to go in there and tell them to pay me for legal advice they don't need!"
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