ADDS MORE STATEMENTS BY US PRESIDENT TRUMP; REVISES DECKS
By Merve Aydogan and Mucahithan Avcioglu
HAMILTON, Canada / ISTANBUL (AA) - US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to impose steeper tariffs on countries that "play games" after a Supreme Court verdict last week said that by imposing sweeping global levies, his administration had overstepped its authority.
"Any Country that wants to 'play games' with the ridiculous supreme court decision, especially those that have 'Ripped Off' the U.S.A. for years, and even decades, will be met with a much higher Tariff, and worse, than that which they just recently agreed to," he wrote on his social media company Truth Social.
In a separate post, Trump said that Friday’s Supreme Court decision had "accidentally and unwittingly" given him "far more powers and strength" than he previously had, adding that his other tariffs could be used "in a much more powerful and obnoxious way."
"The supreme court (will be using lower case letters for a while based on a complete lack of respect!) of the United States accidentally and unwittingly gave me, as President of the United States, far more powers and strength than I had prior to their ridiculous, dumb, and very internationally divisive ruling," he wrote.
The ruling was 6-3, and the majority included both conservative and liberal justices.
Trump threatened to do "terrible" things to foreign countries, especially those he claimed had been "ripping off" the US for decades, using "licenses," but inexplicably pointed out that he couldn't collect licensing fees from them under the terms of the agreement. "BUT ALL LICENSES CHARGE FEES, why can’t the United States do so?"
- Congress and tariffs
Trump argued that the Supreme Court "did a great job for the wrong people," and that they should be ashamed.
On an upcoming case before the court, over the issue of birthright citizenship, he said it could make a wrong decision that favors China and other countries.
Arguments in the case are set for April 1.
Trump also reiterated that as president, he does not have to go back to Congress to get approval of tariffs.
"It has already been gotten, in many forms, a long time ago! They were also just reaffirmed by the ridiculous and poorly crafted supreme court decision!" Trump added.
However, legal analysts say Trump’s new tariffs, of 15%, can only last for 150 days before he has to seek congressional approval.
The US Supreme Court last week ruled that "reciprocal" tariffs, fentanyl-related levies, and other related duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act were unlawful.
Trump criticized the court's "deeply disappointing" decision to invalidate the "emergency" tariffs he had implemented worldwide.