A number of GOP lawmakers have privately expressed their joy and relief that the courts stepped in to block President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff plans, hoping the decisions ultimately end his global trade war, according to reports.
Two federal courts ruled that Trump had overreached his authority by announcing the unprecedented “Liberation Day” reciprocal tariffs, which caused economic turmoil, without first getting approval from Congress. Trump argued that he did not need to consult with lawmakers as his tariffs were a response to a national emergency.
On Thursday, a federal appeals court granted a Justice Department request to allow the tariffs, including the baseline 10 percent rate on dozens of countries, to remain in place while the Trump administration challenges the rulings, with a final decision potentially being made by the Supreme Court.
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GOP strategist and former Senate aide Brian Darling told The Hill that some Republican senators will be “secretly rooting” for the nation’s highest court to uphold the lower courts’ decision blocking Trump’s tariff plans.
He added that GOP lawmakers are also “quietly applauding” the intervention from the U.S. Court of International Trade and U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras because it “saves them from having to deal with the tariff issue, which has proven to be unpopular.”
“They’re very happy about the decision as long as it takes it off the table for a long period of time and doesn’t commence another round of tariffs by different means,” Darling said.
A similar sentiment was expressed by Republican strategist John Feehery, a former aide to ex-GOP House Speaker Dennis Hastert. He said some Republican lawmakers would like to “see this all go away” with a decisive ruling from the Supreme Court.
“Ultimately, if the Supreme Court rules against the president on this issue, it’ll actually help the president politically,” Feehery told the Washington Examiner. “I think it would lead to an economic boom.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast.
Some Republicans haven’t been shy about voicing their opposition to Trump’s tariff plans, arguing the president never had the authority to impose them unilaterally.
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, one of the most vocal GOP critics of Trump’s tariffs, wrote in a Thursday X post: “I have said time and time again that the Founders wanted to prevent one person from having unilateral control and decision-making powers. That’s why the power of the purse and the ability to tax lie with Congress, not the president.”
Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska added: “Article One, Section Eight gives Congress the power over taxes and tariffs. The Constitution is clear.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt slammed the rulings Thursday and said they amounted to a judicial abuse of power against the government.
“The courts should have no role here. There is a troubling and dangerous trend of unelected judges inserting themselves into the presidential decision-making process,” Leavitt said. “America cannot function if President Trump—or any president, for that matter—has their sensitive diplomatic or trade negotiations railroaded by activist judges.”
Leavitt added that the Supreme Court “must put an end” to the legal back-and-forth over the tariffs “for the sake of our Constitution and our country.”
