Lever Time The Court Disarmed Trump’s Tariff Weapon. Who Will Pay? (With Lori Wallach)
Feb 26, 2026
Lori Wallach, trade expert and director of Rethink Trade at the American Economic Liberties Project, explains the Supreme Court ruling that undercut Trump’s tariff authority. She breaks down how tariffs were weaponized politically. They discuss why tariffs failed to reshore jobs, refund mechanics, who actually benefits from refunds, and which trade laws presidents can still use.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Tariffs Used For Patronage And Private Deals
- Lori Wallach gives examples of tariff-driven favoritism benefiting Trump's allies and family deals.
- She cites Vietnamese golf resort deals for his sons and tariff exemptions secured for Apple after Tim Cook's political contributions.
Court Limits Presidential Tariff Power
- The Supreme Court ruled Trump cannot use the broad emergency law (IEEPA) to impose tariffs without congressional process.
- Lori Wallach explains this restores checks on presidential tariff power and forces formal studies and procedures for future tariffs.
Tariffs Didn't Rebuild Manufacturing
- Trump's tariffs failed to revive U.S. manufacturing and coincided with net manufacturing job losses and a larger manufacturing trade deficit.
- Wallach cites February data showing 88,000 more lost manufacturing jobs and a $62 billion rise in the manufacturing deficit.