President Trump is not sitting quietly while the Supreme Court decides whether it wants to kneecap the presidency. With a major ruling on tariffs expected any day now, the president has gone on offense, and frankly, it is about time. According to betting markets, his chances of winning sit at a pathetic 22 percent. That number alone tells you just how disconnected the so-called experts are from basic reality.
A president without tariff power is not a president at all. He is a spectator. Tariffs are not some obscure trade gimmick, they are leverage. Without them, negotiations with foreign governments become a polite suggestion instead of a serious demand. Anyone who thinks the United States can negotiate trade deals without tariff authority is either naïve or pretending not to understand how the real world works.
President Trump made that point crystal clear in his latest Truth Social post, which reads less like political messaging and more like a blunt warning shot aimed straight at the justices. He laid out the consequences in plain English. If the Supreme Court were to rule against the United States on tariffs, the financial fallout would not be measured in millions or even billions, but in hundreds of billions of dollars, potentially trillions once investment losses are factored in. Factories, plants, and equipment are already being built to avoid tariffs. Undoing that would create an economic mess so large it might not even be calculable, let alone payable.
Trump did not sugarcoat it. He said outright that if the Court rules against the United States on this national security bonanza, “WE’RE SCREWED!” That may offend the delicate sensibilities of legal elites, but it accurately reflects the stakes.
The ruling was expected earlier, but it has now been pushed to Wednesday, January 14th. That delay is being read by many as a positive sign. Quick rulings are usually bad news, especially when powerful interests want an outcome rushed through. Deliberation suggests disagreement, uncertainty, and possibly a lack of votes to strike the tariffs down.
Betting markets like Polymarket seem to be adjusting, though Trump’s odds are still well below where they should be. That skepticism may be influenced by leaks and narratives designed to pressure the Court, something we have seen before. Anyone who remembers the leaks ahead of Roe v. Wade knows exactly how that game is played.
The Trump administration has already confirmed there are backup plans if the Court goes the wrong way, but that does not make a bad ruling any less damaging. This decision is about more than tariffs. It is about whether the presidency retains the authority to protect American workers and negotiate from strength.
Now the spotlight is on the Supreme Court of the United States. In just a few days, we will find out whether they understand that national security and economic leverage are not abstract legal theories. They are necessities. Let’s hope, for once, common sense wins.