President Donald Trump said the United States could face a big financial problem if the Supreme Court says his global tariffs on imports are not allowed. The country’s top court is about to share its decision as early as January 14.
On January 12, Trump posted on Truth Social that if the Supreme Court decides against the United States on this national security issue, “WE’RE SCREWED!”
He said the country would have to return “many hundreds of billions of dollars” in money already collected from the new tariffs and “trillions” more from private investments.
According to USA Today, Trump used the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act as the legal reason for most of his tariffs.
He declared a national emergency because of the country’s trade deficit. However, during the November arguments, most Supreme Court justices seemed unsure about Trump’s use of emergency powers.
The financial impact could change America’s economy.
The federal government made about $200 billion more in tariff money in 2025 because of the president’s tariffs on imports from around the world. Companies pay these tariffs when they bring goods into the country from other nations.
Trump said the “payback” amount, if the Supreme Court rules against him, includes money that companies and other countries are spending to build factories and equipment in the United States to avoid paying the higher tariffs.
The president has previously threatened tariffs on multiple countries as part of his economic strategy.
“When these investments are added, we are talking about trillions of dollars!
It would be a complete mess, and almost impossible for our country to pay,” Trump wrote. He said anyone who claims it can be done quickly and easily would be giving a false or misunderstood answer to this big and complicated question.
Trump also added that even if paying back the money were possible, the amounts would be so large that it would take many years just to find out the exact number and who to pay.
Trump has often exaggerated how much private investment his tariffs have brought to the United States, and some companies that promised American investments haven’t followed through yet. Trump didn’t explain how he came up with the “trillions” figure.
A ruling against Trump’s use of emergency powers would be a major setback for the main part of his domestic agenda and his favorite tool in trade deals with other countries.
The decision could also have a big effect on the global economy and Trump’s claims about broad executive power. Despite his tough approach to international relations, Trump has faced criticism from the Nobel Committee about his leadership style.
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