Trump’s trade adviser Navarro upbeat on fate of US tariffs
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Mr Peter Navarro, the US President’s adviser on trade issues, criticised the US Court of Appeals’ ruling against the tariffs as being motivated by politics.
PHOTO: EPA
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WASHINGTON – A top Trump administration trade official expressed optimism on Aug 31 that the US Supreme Court will uphold the sweeping tariffs that a lower court has struck down.
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Aug 29 ruled that many of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, which have upended global trade, were illegal because he did not have authority to impose them.
But the court allowed the tariffs to remain in place for now, giving Mr Trump time to take the fight to the conservative-majority Supreme Court.
Mr Peter Navarro, Mr Trump’s adviser on trade issues, said on Fox News show Sunday Morning Futures that the 7-4 ruling against the tariffs
The dissenting opinions in this vote were “very, very strong”, Mr Navarro said.
“I think it provides a very clear road map to how the Supreme Court can certainly rule in our favour.”
The Aug 29’s ruling said Mr Trump cannot impose open-ended tariffs on almost all imports into the US, as he is trying to do.
But “we never said they were permanent”, Mr Navarro insisted.
“We feel very optimistic. If we lose the case, President Trump is right. It will be the end of the United States,” he added.
The courts entered the fray following a lawsuit filed by Democratic-run states and a coalition of small import businesses.
The latter are “trying to preserve the right to import cheap Chinese (expletive), mostly,” Mr Navarro said. AFP
