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Jim_MAY said:

The Trump Administration will advance an appeal to the Supreme Court. Congress gave tariff powers to the Presidents long ago.

Whether or not Trump's tariffs are good or bad is a separate question as to whether or not he had the legal authority to impose them. 

The US Constitution specifies that Congress, not the President, has the authority to set tariff rates.

Trump cites the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) as delegating to the President the authority to set tariffs.  IEEPA does not mention tariffs, and it only applies in certain emergency situations.   A long term trade imbalance is not the sort of "emergency" that IEEPA covers.

foregoneconclusion said:

The Trump administration tries to claim everything is an emergency or national security related. But they never like to provide any evidence of either claim. 

The Trump administration asserts various "emergencies" as a justification for violating the law and the US Constitution.   It is normal for the population to look the other way at these sorts of things when they like the direction the administration is taking. A big issue i that by looking the other way when you like what's happening, you lose the ability to do anything if you don't like the direction the government is taking.


The only thing that's new is the magnitude of what's going on.  Previous administrations have never violated the law in such an egregious fashion on so many controversial issues.  But then, this is what America wanted.  After all we did elect a convicted felon. 


A good example of previous violations is the US highway system.  The US Constitution envisions a lean and mean federal government.  The Constitution enumerates the few things the Federal government is responsible for, and explicitly reserves everything else to the states.  There is nothing in the Constitution giving the Feds the responsibility or authority to create a national highway system.   At one point the government tried to justify it as being for national defense, but that's no longer applicable.  The US military can deploy via air to anywhere in the world.  Trying to do a domestic deployment by road would only slow things down.  We don't have roads to Afghanistan, Iraq, etc., yet we were able to wage war there.

This trade war is a gift to China.   Trump is teaching the rest of the world that the US is not a reliable trading partner, it is not an ally in defense, nor will it help you in your time of need.   Any country that is interested in a stable growing economy will want to shift to China as a trading partner, and perhaps Russia for defense.   Neither of these choices are good for the US in the short term or the long term.