A senior economic advisor to President Donald Trump expressed strong optimism on Thursday regarding the potential for court decisions that invalidated aggressive tariffs to be overturned on appeal.
Kevin Hassett, who serves as the director of the National Economic Council, conveyed his unwavering belief in the legality and future viability of the administration’s tariff strategies, which aim to promote fair trade practices.
“We are correct in asserting that America has been treated unfairly by other nations,” Hassett stated during a Finance Newso Business interview. “This round of trade negotiations has proven to be incredibly beneficial for the American public.”
These remarks come in the wake of a recent ruling from judges at the Court of International Trade, who contended that Trump overstepped his authority regarding tariffs designed to eliminate trade barriers against U.S. goods and to curb fentanyl trafficking at the southern border.
The ruling referenced the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s designation of fentanyl as a primary factor in domestic overdose fatalities, asserting that the tariffs failed to effectively address the dangers outlined in the related executive orders.
Hassett reacted strongly to this decision, asserting that the administration would persist in its initiatives to combat fentanyl trafficking.
“These judicial activists are attempting to obstruct our efforts in the midst of crucial trade negotiations,” he remarked. “The notion that the fentanyl crisis in America does not constitute an emergency is utterly shocking, and I firmly believe that this ruling will be overturned upon appeal.”
The administration possesses various strategies to navigate the judges’ ruling, including provisions within existing trade laws. Nonetheless, Hassett emphasized that pursuing such alternatives is not on the immediate agenda.
“There are indeed actions we could start implementing right now under different legal provisions, and other strategies would take a few months to operationalize,” he noted. “However, we are not considering those at this time because we are convinced that this ruling is fundamentally flawed.”
