Donald Trump has said “it would be a complete mess” if the US supreme court were to strike down his global trade tariffs.
In a lengthy post on social media, the US president said “WE’RE SCREWED” if the supreme court rules against the tariffs. The decision is expected as soon as Wednesday. It is a crucial legal test of his controversial economic strategy and his power.
Trump said it would be difficult to reverse the tariffs as businesses and countries could claim refunds, saying “it would take many years to figure out what number we are talking about and even, who, when, and where, to pay”. He added: “It would be a complete mess, and almost impossible for our Country to pay.”
In November, the supreme court appeared sceptical of the legal basis of the Trump administration’s sweeping global tariff regime when justices questioned the president’s authority to impose the levies. Justices heard oral arguments on the legality of Trump’s tariffs.
The sweeping global tariffs that were first announced by Trump last April are being challenged by small businesses and 12 US states, which argue that the president overstepped his authority in imposing the new levies on goods imports coming into the country.
Before the case ended up at the supreme court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, two lower courts found that Trump did not have the authority to impose global tariffs.
When he imposed the tariffs via a series of executive orders last year, Trump cited the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, a 1977 law that in some circumstances grants the president authority to regulate or prohibit international transactions during a national emergency.
A coalition of 12 states – Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Vermont – and small businesses have sued the Trump administration to block the tariffs.
At the November hearing, the supreme court did not spend much time discussing potential refunds. However, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who was appointed to the court by Trump, noted that it could become a “complete mess” to undo the taxes already collected.
Trump also said this week that any country that does business with Iran will face a tariff rate of 25% on trade with the US, as Washington weighs its response to the situation in the country, which is embroiled in its biggest anti-government protests in years.
“Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America,” the US president said in a post on social media on Monday. Tariffs are paid by US importers of goods from those countries. Iran has been placed under heavy sanctions by Washington for years.
“This order is final and conclusive,” Trump said. Top export destinations for Iranian goods include China, the United Arab Emirates and India.
Separately on Tuesday, Volkswagen reported that its sales in the US fell last year because of Trump’s tariffs.
In 2025, the vehicle manufacturer’s global sales fell by 1.4%, which it blamed on “challenging market conditions”.
Sales fell by 8.2% in the US, and VW said tariffs “had a marked impact on deliveries in North America”. Demand also weakened in China, where VW’s sales fell 8.4%.
Sales in Europe grew by 5.1%, and in South America by 18.5%.
