US President Donald Trump on Monday warned that the United States could face “trillions of dollars” in losses if the Supreme Court rules against his administration’s sweeping tariff regime, declaring that the country
would be “SCREWED.”
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said that a ruling against the government could force the US to repay “many hundreds of billions of dollars” in tariffs already collected, apart from additional “payback” claims from countries and companies that invested in factories, plants and equipment to avoid the duties.
“When these investments are added, we are talking about trillions of dollars,” Trump wrote, calling the potential fallout “a complete mess” and warning that it would be almost impossible for the country to pay back such sums. He said determining who should be repaid, how much, and over what period would itself take years.
Framing the tariffs as a “national security bonanza,” Trump said any claim that repayments could be handled quickly or easily was false. “Anybody who says that it can be quickly and easily done would be making a false, inaccurate, or totally misunderstood answer,” he wrote.
The comments came as the Supreme Court continues to weigh a legal challenge to Trump’s tariff powers. The court did not issue a ruling on the matter on Friday, despite speculation that a decision could be imminent, and released only one opinion unrelated to tariffs. It remains unclear when the ruling will be delivered, with the court next scheduled to issue opinions on Wednesday.
At the heart of the case are two key questions: whether the administration was justified in using emergency powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose broad tariffs, and whether importers would be entitled to reimbursement if those powers are found to have been misused.
Even if the White House were to lose the case, the administration retains other statutory tools to impose tariffs without relying on emergency authorities.
Trump, however, insisted that striking down the tariffs would undermine US economic strength. “When America shines brightly, the world shines brightly,” he wrote.
