As tariff revenues surge under his administration, President Donald Trump is weighing an unprecedented appearance at the Supreme Court for next month’s oral arguments in a case that could define the future of his trade agenda.
His potential presence, which would mark the first time a sitting president has witnessed Supreme Court proceedings in person, underscores how import duties have become a cornerstone of Trump’s economic strategy and a defining feature of his presidency.
TRUMP TARIFFS HAUL OVER $200B IN REVENUES AS SUPREME COURT WEIGHS CHALLENGE TO LEGALITY
That emphasis has been reflected in the data: Treasury Department figures show tariff collections have climbed to record levels, surpassing those under former President Joe Biden.
Tariff revenues rose steadily from $17.4 billion in April to $23.9 billion in May, before climbing to $28 billion in June and reaching $29 billion in July.
That momentum continued through August and September, when the government collected back-to-back record-breaking monthly revenues totaling $62.6 billion.
BESSENT DEFENDS TRUMP’S TARIFFS AGAINST CLAIMS THEY HARM US BUSINESSES
For the full fiscal year 2025, total duty revenue reached $215.2 billion, according to the Treasury’s “Customs and Certain Excise Taxes” report released on Sept. 30.
American businesses pay these import taxes directly to the federal government, but they often pass the cost along by raising prices, meaning consumers ultimately shoulder much of the burden.
Trump continues to defend his reliance on tariffs as a way to counter what he sees as decades of unfair trade practices, an approach that underscores how deeply trade has been woven into his broader economic agenda.
TRUMP SAYS US HAS BEEN ‘THE KING OF BEING SCREWED’ BY TRADE IMBALANCE
“Tariffs have been used against the United States for years,” Trump said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”
“It would always bother me so much, I’d look, and I’d say how can they allow this to happen to our country? We lost 55% of our automobile business because of the fact that we didn’t use tariffs. If we used tariffs we wouldn’t have lost anything.”
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Trump said his administration does not currently have a fallback plan should the Supreme Court invalidate his tariff policy.
“I’ll have to figure something out. I don’t even want to think about it,” he said.
