The supreme court has struck a blow to Trump's corruption machine | David Sirota

"Last week's ruling did not merely strip one president of his executive power to unilaterally impose levies across broad swaths of the economy it makes it harder for any president to transform tariffs from a broad economic policy into a personal political cudgel that muzzles criticism and enforces fealty."

"Donald Trump has been able to weaponize tariffs by citing a section of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) that allows a president to regulate importation. As long as tariffs were presumed to be a permissible form of regulating importation under this law, Trump could assert the power to unilaterally impose whatever tariffs he wanted, at whatever product-by-product levels he chose, and with any exemptions he desired all without explanation or explicit authorization from Congress."

"Amid the administration's grotesquerie of self-enrichment, Trump has spent his second term adjusting trade policy in bespoke ways that just so happen to reward political allies and donors. The Washington Post reported that Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, dumped $1m into Trump's inauguration, cultivated relationships with Trump officials, and refrained from publicly criticizing the president or his policies on national television just before securing tariff exemptions for his company's products."

The Supreme Court has limited presidential authority to unilaterally deploy tariffs, reversing two decades of deference to executive power. Previously, presidents could cite the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs without congressional authorization or explanation. This power enabled weaponization of trade policy to reward political allies and donors while punishing critics. The Trump administration exemplified this abuse, granting tariff exemptions to companies whose leaders made political donations or avoided public criticism. The ruling prevents presidents from using tariffs as a personal political instrument to enforce fealty and distribute favor based on political allegiance rather than legitimate economic policy.

Read at www.theguardian.com