Trump Warns of ‘National Security Disaster’ If Supreme Court Shoots Down His Tariffs

President Donald Trump warned it would be a “national security disaster” for the U.S. if the Supreme Court rules against his tariffs while speaking to reporters from the White House on Monday afternoon.

The president reiterated what he has been saying frequently of late — that his tariffs are boosting the American economy and are a vital tool used to protect the nation.

“By the time my first year ends, we’re going to have over $20 trillion of investment coming into the United States. It’s unheard of,” Trump said. “We have AI factories — we’re leading China by a lot — we have cars and car plants coming in by more than we’ve ever had built before. All of that would go away if we lose the tariff case.”

He added: “It would be an economic disaster, [and] it would be a national security disaster if we lost the case in the Supreme Court.”

The Supreme Court began weighing the president’s tariff plan last week; the case is focused on a 1977 law that the president has used that says he has the ability to “regulate” imports.

Trump has argued his tariffs are both legal and necessary, not only to prevent the U.S. from getting “ripped off” by other countries, but also as a national security measure.

“Other countries use tariffs against us, and we weren’t able to openly and freely use tariffs against them,” Trump told reporters earlier this month. “I’ll give you an example — China. That was going to be a disaster for the world, and I was able to settle it very quickly, very easily, because I was able to use tariffs. It’s total national security, and economic health is also a part of national security, by the way.”

Many outlets last week reported the case was not off to a strong start for Trump. Some headlines included: CNN said Trump’s lawyers made a “rocky” argument, the Wall Street Journal said the justices appeared “skeptical” of the tariffs, and Slate said it was a “bloodbath” for Trump.

One person who is optimistic the president will prevail is Howard Lutnick. The commerce secretary, like a bureaucratic Babe Ruth calling his shot, predicted the Supreme Court will side with Trump during an appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show.

Watch Trump discuss the tariffs above, via Fox News.