The Supreme Court's Friday ruling in Learning Resources, Inc., et al v. Trump may have restricted one avenue for tariff implementation, but constitutional experts are making it crystal clear: President Trump has plenty of other weapons in his arsenal to deliver on his America First trade agenda.
The high court's decision doesn't spell doom for Trump's tariff strategy—it simply redirects the administration to use alternative legal pathways that are equally powerful and constitutionally sound.
"The president obviously has tariff power," legal analysts note, pointing to numerous statutes that grant broad trade authority to the executive branch. These include Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows retaliation against unfair foreign trade practices, and Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which permits tariffs on national security grounds.
"This ruling doesn't tie the president's hands—it just means he'll use different tools to protect American workers from unfair foreign competition."
The Trump administration has already demonstrated mastery of these alternative approaches during the president's first term, successfully imposing tariffs on Chinese goods, steel, and aluminum imports that brought manufacturing jobs back to American soil.
Deep State Lawyers Can't Stop America First
What's particularly telling is how the establishment legal class thought this Supreme Court decision would somehow derail Trump's trade agenda. These are the same swamp creatures who've been trying to limit presidential authority since day one of his first term.
But here's what they don't understand: Trump didn't build a multi-billion dollar business empire by accepting the first "no" he heard. The man knows how to find alternative routes to victory.
With Trade Representative and Commerce Secretary positions filled by America First loyalists, this administration has the expertise and determination to implement tariffs through whatever legal mechanism necessary to protect American industry.
The bottom line? Foreign nations dumping cheap goods into American markets and stealing jobs from hardworking Americans shouldn't breathe a sigh of relief just yet. President Trump's tariff agenda is far from over—it's just getting started through new channels.