'That is not true': Trump hit with blunt fact check after spreading Supreme Court lie
President Donald Trump has been making false claims about Supreme Court approval for his latest round of tariffs, according to reporting from Politico that reveals the president is misrepresenting the high court's actual ruling.
Trump has been "repeatedly claiming that the same Supreme Court went ahead and blessed his use of other authorities, like the so-called Section 122 tariffs he's turned to as a short-term fix." However, Politico reports this characterization is inaccurate.
"That is not true," according to the outlet.
While three justices who dissented from the Supreme Court's recent tariff decision did cite Section 122 as a potential tool Trump could use, the court's six-justice majority explicitly rejected that position. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion: "We do not speculate on hypothetical cases not before us."
The distinction matters significantly for Trump's legal strategy. The president is now relying on Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to justify his 10 percent tariffs imposed in February, claiming the U.S. faces a "large and serious balance-of-payments deficit."
Legal experts acknowledge Trump's new tariffs are on "probably stronger legal footing" than his previous "Liberation Day" taxes that the Supreme Court struck down. However, challengers including Democratic attorneys general from 24 states are already filing lawsuits challenging the legitimacy of Trump's statutory interpretation and the sweeping exemptions his proclamation includes.