A US federal court has said that President Donald Trump has no legal authority to impose heavy tariffs on almost all countries, including India. The court, however, upheld his attempt to “build a protectionist wall around the American economy” for now. The US Federal Circuit Court of Appeals said in its ruling that Trump does not have legal permission to declare a national emergency and impose import taxes on almost all countries. The federal court largely upheld the decision of a special federal business court in New York.
The judges wrote in the judgment, “It does not appear that Parliament had any intention of giving the President unlimited power to levy taxes.” However, the judges did not immediately cancel the tariffs imposed on various countries and allowed the Trump administration to appeal to the Supreme Court. The President has expressed his resolve to do just that. Trump wrote on his social media platform, “If it is allowed to stand, this decision will truly destroy America.” White House spokesman Kush Desai said Trump had acted legally and “we expect a final victory in this case.”