President Donald Trump said Sunday evening he is not considering what would have been an unprecedented appearance at the Supreme Court this week for oral arguments in a critical case about tariffs.
En route to Washington aboard Air Force One, Trump told reporters he does not "want to do anything to deflect the importance" of the Supreme Court case, which could shape the future of his trade agenda.
Trump had originally floated the idea of attending on Oct. 15, telling reporters in the Oval Office that it is "one of the most important cases in the history of our country."
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Trump's presence, which would have marked the first time a sitting president has witnessed Supreme Court proceedings in person, underscores the extent to which import duties have evolved from a policy tool into a defining pillar of Trump’s economic vision.
The cases, Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump and Trump v. V.O.S. Selections, Inc., have been consolidated for argument before the Supreme Court. Learning Resources is an educational-toy manufacturer and V.O.S. Selections is a family-owned wine and spirits importer and distributor.
Both cases center on the same legal question, whether the president had authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose the tariffs and whether doing so violated the Constitution’s separation of powers.
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Jeffrey Schwab, the lead counsel representing V.O.S. Selections, said earlier that Trump’s possible attendance wouldn’t distract from the arguments themselves.
"We’re not really focused on who’s going to be at the oral argument, whether it’s the president or not," Schwab said, when asked by Fox News Digital.
"We’re focused on presenting our case to the court, and that’s going to be our focus for November 5th," said Schwab. He serves as senior counsel and interim director of litigation at the Liberty Justice Center and previously argued the case before the U.S. Court of International Trade.
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Earlier on Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he was "optimistic" about the case before the nation's highest court.
When asked by Shannon Bream on "Fox News Sunday" about the possibility that the Supreme Court might rule against the administration, Bessent said, "We will cross that bridge when we come to it."
Trump struck a similar note of uncertainty in an Oct. 19 interview on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures," saying his administration does not currently have a fallback plan should the Court strike down his tariff policy.
"I'll have to figure something out. I don't even want to think about it," Trump said.
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Meanwhile, total duty revenue reached $215.2 billion in the fiscal year, according to the Treasury Department’s "Customs and Certain Excise Taxes" report released on Sept. 30.
Since Trump announced his Liberation Day tariffs, revenues have soared from $23.9 billion in May, to $28 billion in June and $29 billion in July.
