Anarchy by Tariff
Trump's War on the Constitution
Donald Trump’s reckless use of tariffs during his presidency showed a deep disregard for the U.S. Constitution and the limits of presidential power. Over the years, Congress has provided the president very limited powers to negotiate trade deals, yet Trump acted as if those constraints didn’t exist. According to Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, only Congress has the authority to impose tariffs, not the president. Yet, with what amounts to constitutional illiteracy, Trump ignored this rule, using tariffs like a weapon to punish both allies and rivals without proper legal backing.
Last week, the U.S. Court of International Trade struck down one of Trump’s major tariff actions, finding that his use of emergency powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) was an abuse of the law. The court made it clear: a trade deficit is not a national emergency, and Trump cannot trample Congress to rewrite trade rules on his own.
Trump’s argument that Congress is “too slow” or “too incompetent” to handle tariffs reveals a disturbing misunderstanding of how our government works. Congress writes the rules; the president enforces them. Ignoring this structure, Trump lobbed tariffs like economic grenades, imposing them without approval and creating economic disruption in the process—higher prices, market instability, and retaliatory measures from other countries.
Worst of all, Trump’s response to the court ruling—calling it a “judicial coup”—shows a disturbing contempt for the separation of powers. Presidents don’t get to make the rules just because they find the process frustrating. That’s exactly why checks and balances exist. His delusion that tariff authority is his personal playground reveals a dangerous contempt, not only for the Constitution but also the American people.
Trump’s tariff policies aren’t just bad economics—they are a clear example of constitutional overreach. And they remind us why no president, no matter how popular or powerful, is above the law.