White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett exerted confidence in the Trump administration’s ability to get tariff legalities overturned, adding that three alleged trade deals are awaiting the president’s signature.
“Trump does always win these negotiations, because we’re right,” Hassett said on “Mornings with Maria,” Thursday. “We’re right that America has been mishandled by other governments, that our tariffs are taking them to the table.”
“It’s unfortunate that people would attack it… the way the judges just did. You know, these activist judges are trying to slow down something right in the middle of really important negotiations,” he added. “I’m sure that when we appeal that, this decision will be overturned.”
On Wednesday, the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that President Trump overstepped his authority over tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
CITI C.E.O. BULLISH ON U.S. ECONOMY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP UNDER TRUMP LEADERSHIP
“The Constitution assigns Congress the exclusive powers to ‘lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises,’ and to ‘regulate Commerce with foreign Nations,’” the court opined. “The question in the two cases before the court is whether the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (“IEEPA”) delegates these powers to the President in the form of authority to impose unlimited tariffs on goods from nearly every country in the world.”
“The court does not read IEEPA to confer such unbounded authority and sets aside the challenged tariffs imposed thereunder,” the court continued.
According to Hassett, the recent ruling “doesn’t at all” impact ongoing trade deals, but admitted there could be “little hiccups.”
Hassett then divulged that three trade partners have come forth with formal negotiations that just need President Trump to officially sign off on.
“At the end of [last] week, [there were] three that were basically ready for the president’s decision. I don’t know if people have had that conversation with him yet, but yes, there are many, many deals coming,” he said, “and there were three that basically look like they’re done.”
The White House previously told FOX Business that the Trump administration is committed to using every level of executive power to restore American greatness.
“We’re very, very confident that this really is incorrect,” Hassett said. “In the end, people know President Trump is 100% serious, and they also have seen that President Trump always wins.”
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FOX Business’ Greg Wehner and Bill Mears contributed to this report.
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