In a sharp reversal of earlier plans, President Donald Trump said he will not attend the Supreme Court hearing this week on his sweeping tariff policy — a historic case testing the limits of presidential power over trade.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said he decided to stay away so as not to “distract from the importance of the court’s decision,” adding that “this is about our country, not about me,” according to Reuters.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday will open arguments in the combined cases Learning Resources v. Trump and V.O.S. Selections, Inc. v. Trump.
The challenges question whether the president acted lawfully when imposing broad import tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
The consolidated case is expected to define how far a president can go in invoking economic emergencies to reshape U.S. trade.
Trump’s tariffs, announced in April 2025 as part of what he called a “reciprocal trade strategy,” placed new duties on a wide range of foreign goods.
He declared a national economic emergency to justify the move, arguing that foreign subsidies and persistent trade deficits posed an “extraordinary threat” to U.S. industry.
According to SCOTUSblog, the Court will weigh whether the act’s language allowing the president to “regulate imports” extends to authorizing new taxes on trade without congressional approval.
A lower federal court ruled that the act does not grant the president power to impose tariffs unilaterally, saying Congress retains that constitutional authority under Article I.
Trump’s legal team countered that tariffs are a long-established trade instrument and that his actions fell squarely within the law’s emergency powers provision.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit had blocked portions of the tariff regime earlier this year before the Supreme Court agreed to take up the case.
Businesses and importers have warned that if the tariffs are overturned, they could seek billions in refunds, potentially blowing a hole in federal revenues.
The administration, by contrast, insists the duties have strengthened American manufacturing and generated vital income for U.S. taxpayers.
Meanwhile, Congress is pushing to curb unilateral trade action. Lawmakers in both parties have introduced the Trade Review Act of 2025, which would require presidents to secure congressional approval for tariffs lasting beyond 60 days.
Supporters say it restores checks and balances over trade powers that have tilted heavily toward the executive branch.
As Trump skips the courtroom he once planned to enter, the justices’ ruling could determine not only the fate of his trade agenda but also the future scope of presidential economic authority in the United States.
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