WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday renewed his defense of sweeping import tariffs, asserting that they have generated hundreds of billions of dollars for the United States and bolstered national security, as the Supreme Court prepares to rule on whether he had the authority to impose them without congressional approval.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the federal government has “taken in, and will soon be receiving, more than 600 Billion Dollars in Tariffs,” accusing what he called the “Fake News Media” of downplaying the figures to influence the high court.
He also described the pending Supreme Court decision as “one of the most important ever” and argued that tariffs have made the country “financially, AND FROM A NATIONAL SECURITY STANDPOINT, FAR STRONGER AND MORE RESPECTED THAN EVER BEFORE.”
The comments come as the Supreme Court weighs challenges to Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, to impose broad tariffs on imports. Several justices expressed skepticism during oral arguments, raising the prospect that at least some of the levies could be struck down in the coming days or weeks.
Trump’s framing of tariffs as both a fiscal and security success contrasts with a more nuanced economic picture outlined in recent reporting by The New York Times. While the administration raised U.S. import taxes last year to levels not seen in a century, economists have found that the actual tariff rates paid by companies have been significantly lower than the headline figures Trump announced.
The Times cited a new working paper from economists at Harvard University and the University of Chicago concluded that the effective U.S. tariff rate stood at about 14.1% at the end of September, roughly half of the nominal rate the administration had publicized. The researchers attributed the gap to a combination of country- and product-specific exemptions, delays for goods already in transit when tariffs were announced and, in some cases, tariff evasion.
The analysis also found that certain sectors received especially favorable treatment. Semiconductors and products containing them faced much lower effective tariffs, a move widely viewed as beneficial to the technology industry.
Goods imported from Taiwan, Canada and Mexico also saw lower rates, in part because of exemptions under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. In 2025, about 90% of goods from Canada and Mexico were declared compliant with the trade pact, up sharply from prior years.
Despite higher costs for some goods and continued strain on import-dependent businesses, the overall economic impact has been less severe than some experts predicted earlier in the year. As affordability concerns grow, the administration has shown signs of flexibility. Last week, Trump issued an executive order delaying a planned increase in tariffs on vanities, kitchen cabinets and upholstered furniture for one year.
