Why The Supreme Court’s Flawed Ruling on Tariffs Will Still Help Trump Politically

Social media does not often lend itself to insightful commentary or good takes. While obviously, most individuals publish thoughts and opinions on social media platforms, Twitter is not a place for thoughtful discourse, this forum is for reactions, and those intuitions are often more emotional than substantive. The media is no longer about stories that involve investigative journalism, independent corroboration, and detailed analysis. Today’s press is primarily, and often exclusively, about hot takes and who is first to get their reaction off. This is why no one should be surprised that what today is referred to as the media likely contributed to the Supreme Court’s recent flawed ruling that $500 billion in aggregate trade deficits with the EU and China is not an emergency was a political win for the left. Trump was always playing the long game with tariffs. The President is looking at the value of long-term trade agreements with Europe and China in his second term, he was never focused on the short-term political implications of his well-thought-out policies. Trump has already announced major trade agreements with the EU and India, more deals are likely on the way as well, and those accords shouldn’t be impacted by the recent court decision.

Still, while the left gleefully celebrated the court ruling and Trump looked slightly weaker in the immediate aftermath of the high court’s decision, what was lacking from the conversation was a thought-out and meaningful conversation about how this ruling will likely impact the very important mid-term elections. The 2018 elections dramatically shift the political landscape going into the 2020 Presidential race for many reasons, and the impeachments that Trump deal with would obviously have never occurred if the Democrats didn’t taken back the House in that election cycle. The Supreme Court’s ruling weakens two of the left’s core arguments against the President. First, the argument that Trump’s power is unchecked by Congress or the courts has now been severely undermined by this ruling on two levels. The opinion issued by the high court shows the court is not some kind of rubber stamp or tool of the President that simply affirms his decisions, but a real and powerfully independent branch of government. Not surprisingly, the same Democrats who talked about the corruption of the Supreme Court and the need to expand the number of justices were mysteriously quiet after the recent opinion was issued. The left’s absurd claim that the midterm elections are essential to rein in Trump and prevent him from destroying the country as an authoritarian leader is undermined significantly by this ruling.

Second, though, and more importantly, the elimination of the tariffs takes away a core Democratic argument on affordability. The left can no longer claim Trump’s tariffs are why many price levels still remain high. The President has resisted doing what Obama tried to for years after the failed Democrat was elected in 2008. Trump has not blamed Biden for what clearly is an economy where the senile former leader’s failed left-wing policies created inflationary pressures that will take more than a 2-year period to fully address. The polls show that much of the public holds Trump accountable for the economy, and the affordability issues that still exist for many middle and low-income families after 4 long years of failed liberal economic policies. The tariffs coming down will prevent the Democrats from making a key argument on affordability against the Republicans. The left can no longer misleadingly claim that Trump’s tariffs are what pushed prices higher, and since the Democratic party doesn’t have a single substantive idea to address affordability, as was seen during the failed Biden administration, the political viability of blaming the President for high prices has now been significantly diminished.

The President’s implementation tariffs is the most significant economic action Trump has taken in his second term. The left will not be able to credibly suggest that any other action taken by MAGA contributed to higher prices. The President’s big and beautiful bill included tax cuts and spending that were similar to what Trump did in his first term, the left will not be able to make any persuasive political arguments linking that piece of legislation to issues of affordability. While certainly, the Supreme Court’s ruling may embolden some on the left and make Trump look weaker in the short-term, this decision should help the President moving into the midterm elections. The two central yet false arguments Democrats were going to use to try frame the mid-term election are gone now. The left cannot claim that there are no checks on the President’s power, and these radicals can also not argue that Trump’s tariffs are why prices, in many cases, still remain high. Indeed, while the President will take a hit on social media over the next week, the court’s ruling should do Trump a favor as the critically important mid-term elections approach.

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