Սակագներ. Գերագույն դատարանի առաջ բացահայտվում են Թրամփի վարչակազմի հակասությունները

With his characteristic flair, Donald Trump set the stakes for the case before the Supreme Court on November 5: "One of the most important cases in the history of our country," even calling it a matter of "life or death." After a disappointing election night on Tuesday, the United States president endured another difficult day on Wednesday.

The highest court in the US spent nearly three hours scrutinizing the arguments of the White House's attorney, who was defending the president's authority to wage his trade war on his own terms. Trump's so-called reciprocal tariffs, levied on nearly every country worldwide, were declared illegal by a federal judge in September. The judge challenged the use of an emergency economic bill from the 1970s, which the executive branch had repurposed. Applying the same reasoning, tariffs imposed on China, Mexico and Canada – ostensibly to fight fentanyl trafficking – were also struck down.

Read more Subscribers only Trump's tariffs declared illegal once again by US appeals court

Given the major financial implications, the case went to the Supreme Court on an emergency basis, with Trump hoping to see the lower court's ruling overturned. It is difficult to predict the outcome at this stage, but the hearing quickly proved to be an ordeal for Solicitor General John Sauer, a Department of Justice official tasked with defending the president's position. Sauer faced an uphill battle: Some of his legal arguments directly contradicted statements by Trump himself, who routinely praises the virtues of tariffs.

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