Trump calls the tariffs case the “most important” Supreme Court decision ever

President Donald Trump has defended his use of tariffs as critical to national security ahead of a landmark Supreme Court case, while warning that the United States will not tolerate the mass killing of Christians in Nigeria and refusing to rule out possible military action in Venezuela.

Trump spoke with reporters aboard Air Force One as he headed from West Palm Beach, Florida, to Washington, DC

He was asked about the upcoming Supreme Court case over tariffs, which he called “one of the most important decisions in the history of our country.”

Trump said the outcome will determine whether presidents can freely use tariffs as a tool for economic pressure and national security.

Trump’s tariffs are headed toward the Supreme Court

Trump said: “Other countries are using tariffs against us, and we have not been able to openly and freely use tariffs against them.” “I’ll give you an example – China. That was a disaster for the world, and I was able to settle it very quickly, very easily because I was able to use tariffs. It’s complete national security, and economic health is also part of national security, by the way.”

Trump said he would not attend the oral arguments to avoid drawing attention to himself, explaining, “It’s not about me. It’s about our country.” Instead, he plans to give a speech in Miami.

“I wanted to go so bad,” he said. “I didn’t want to do anything that would distract from the importance of this decision. If we didn’t have tariffs, we wouldn’t have national security, and the rest of the world would laugh at us because they used tariffs against us for years and took advantage of us.”

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He credited the tariffs with pushing the stock market to a record 48 highs during his tenure, and said they remained necessary for “fair and sustainable” trade agreements.

“We got rich,” he said. “Our stock market hit a record high on Friday — 48 record highs during my tenure — and a lot of that is because of tariffs and our good trade agreements. Without that, a good trade deal wouldn’t be possible. We’ve been getting abused by a lot of other countries, including China, for years. But not anymore. Tariffs have brought us tremendous national security.”

Trump warned in a post on Truth Social that an upcoming Supreme Court case over tariffs could reshape America’s economic future and national security, arguing that presidents should have the power to freely impose tariffs to protect US interests and negotiate strong trade deals.

The Supreme Court is preparing to take on a huge case involving Trump’s executive power and tariff authority

He said tariffs fueled record market growth and “significant wealth” during his presidency and remain vital to maintaining the country’s ability to compete with global powers.

“This will be, in my opinion, one of the most important decisions ever made by the United States Supreme Court,” Trump said. “If we win, we will be the richest and safest country anywhere in the world, by far. If we lose, our country could regress to almost Third World status.”

Regarding foreign policy, Trump rejected questions about using frozen Russian assets as leverage, saying that Europe and Russia are “having discussions” and that he is “not involved.”

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He ruled out sending long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, saying “not really” when asked if he was considering it.

“There is no final straw,” he added. “Sometimes you have to let it fight, that fight and the fight. It was a tough war for a lot of soldiers.”

Trump also said that the United States will not tolerate the mass killing of Christians in Nigeria.

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“They are killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria,” Trump said. “They are killing Christians and killing them in very large numbers. We will not allow that to happen.”

He had warned the previous day that the United States would withhold aid if Abuja did not stop the killings, and said he might order swift action to eliminate Islamist terrorists after designating Nigeria as a country of particular concern.

The persecution of Christians in Nigeria has reached crisis proportions as Islamic militants have burned villages, slaughtered worshipers, and displaced thousands across the northern and central regions.

When asked about possible US strikes in Venezuela, Trump refused to confirm or deny, saying: “How do I answer a question like that?”

“Who would say that?” Trump asked a reporter. “Suppose there was – shall I tell you that? Honestly. Yes, we have plans. We have very secret plans. Look, we’ll see what happens with Venezuela. Venezuela has sent us thousands and thousands, hundreds of thousands of people from prisons, from mental institutions, from drug addicts – and so have other countries.”

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He blamed President Biden’s immigration policies for allowing criminals to cross into the United States, calling him “the worst president in the history of our country.”

Trump added: “It’s the other countries too, because we were run by very stupid people, very stupid people. Biden, who is the worst president in the history of our country by far… Many countries have sent their prisoners – they sent drug dealers, they sent drug addicts. They sent anyone they didn’t want. They sent them through our country. And Venezuela was one of the worst violators.”