U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that the country would face serious difficulties if the Supreme Court were to rule that several tariffs introduced during his administration are unlawful.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said hundreds of billions of dollars could have to be repaid to American companies if the court overturns what he described as a core pillar of his economic policy.
AFP cited Trump adding that compensation linked to investments made by countries and companies seeking to avoid tariff payments could reach into the trillions of dollars, a scenario he said would amount to “major chaos and almost impossible for the country to pay”.
The Supreme Court is expected to issue its ruling on Wednesday, including on the tariff cases that were heard in November.
During oral arguments, the justices signalled scepticism over Trump’s use of emergency powers to impose so-called “reciprocal” tariffs on nearly all US trading partners, as well as tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China linked to allegations of their involvement in illegal drug flows.
Several conservative justices, alongside all three liberal justices, questioned whether the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which Trump relied upon, actually grants the authority to impose such sweeping tariffs.
The case before the court does not involve other sector-specific tariffs imposed by Trump, including those targeting steel, aluminium and the automotive industry.
Trump has raised the effective US tariff rate to its highest level since the 1930s and has repeatedly warned of a “disaster” should the measures be struck down by the courts. - January 13, 2026
