During an anti-Trump demonstration in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on November 5, 2025. TASOS KATOPODIS/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
With his characteristic flair, Donald Trump set the stakes for the case before the Supreme Court on November 5: "One of the most important cases in the history of our country," even calling it a matter of "life or death." After a disappointing election night on Tuesday, the United States president endured another difficult day on Wednesday.
The highest court in the US spent nearly three hours scrutinizing the arguments of the White House's attorney, who was defending the president's authority to wage his trade war on his own terms. Trump's so-called reciprocal tariffs, levied on nearly every country worldwide, were declared illegal by a federal judge in September. The judge challenged the use of an emergency economic bill from the 1970s, which the executive branch had repurposed. Applying the same reasoning, tariffs imposed on China, Mexico and Canada – ostensibly to fight fentanyl trafficking – were also struck down.
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Trump's tariffs declared illegal once again by US appeals court
