Trump calls tariff case ‘most important’ Supreme Court decision ever

President Donald Trump warned that the United States would not tolerate the mass killing of Christians in Nigeria and refused to rule out possible military action in Venezuela, while arguing that the use of tariffs was critical to national security ahead of the landmark Supreme Court case.

Trump spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One as it flew from West Palm Beach, Florida, to Washington, D.C.

He was asked about the upcoming Supreme Court case on tariffs, which he described as “one of the most important decisions in the history of the country.”

Trump argued that the outcome would determine whether presidents can freely use tariffs as both economic leverage and a tool for national security.

TRUMP’S BARRELS TO THE SUPREME COURT WITH TARIFF POWER

“Other countries are using tariffs against us, and we have not been able to use tariffs openly and freely against them,” Trump said. “I’ll give you an example: China. This was going to be a disaster for the world, and I was able to fix it very quickly, very easily, because I was able to use tariffs. This is pure national security, and by the way, economic health is also part of national security.”

Stating that he will not participate in oral debates to avoid drawing attention to himself, Trump said, “This is not about me. This is about our country.” He plans to give a speech in Miami instead.

“I wanted to go so bad,” he said. “I just didn’t want to do anything to detract from the importance of this decision. If we don’t have tariffs, we don’t have national security, and the rest of the world will laugh at us because they’ve used tariffs against us and taken advantage of us for years.”

TRUMP REQUESTED THE SUPREME COURT’S IMMEDIATE DECISION ON DEFINITION AUTHORITY, ‘THE DECISION CANNOT BE HIGHER’

The Supreme Court building is seen in Washington, D.C. President Trump warned that an upcoming Supreme Court case on tariffs could reshape America’s economic and national security future. (Jon Elswick/AP Photo)

He credited tariffs that pushed the stock market to 48 record highs during his tenure and said they remained indispensable for “fair and sustainable” trade deals.

“We became rich,” he said. “Our stock market hit a record high on Friday — 48 record highs during my term — and a big part of that was thanks to tariffs and our good trade deals. You couldn’t have a good trade deal without that. We had been exploited for years by many other countries, including China. Not anymore. Tariffs have brought us tremendous national security.”

In a post on Truth Social, Trump warned that the Supreme Court case on tariffs could reshape America’s economic and national security future and argued that presidents should have the authority to impose tariffs freely to protect U.S. interests and negotiate strong trade agreements.

SUPREME COURT PREPARES TO HANDLE MONUMENTAL CASE OVER TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE POWER AND DESCRIPTIVE AUTHORITY

President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on Friday, October 10, 2025. (Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

He said the tariffs had fueled record market growth and “great wealth” during his presidency and were vital to keeping the country competitive with global powers.

“I think this is going to be one of the most important and important decisions that the Supreme Court of the United States has ever made,” Trump said. “If we win, we will be by far the richest, safest country in the world. If we lose, our country could almost fall to third world status.”

On foreign policy, Trump dismissed questions about using frozen Russian assets as leverage, saying Europe and Russia were “having conversations” and that he was “not involved.”

TRUMP’S DEADLINE ON SECONDARY TARIFFS IS COMING; US-RUSSIA RELATIONS ARE IN THE BALANCE

Ukrainian soldiers of the 44th artillery brigade fire a 2s22 Bohdana self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions on the front line in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Wednesday, August 20, 2025. (Danylo Antoniuk/AP Photo)

“Not really,” he said when asked if he had considered sending long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine after refusing to do so.

“There is no last straw,” he added. “Sometimes you have to let him struggle; that struggle and then the struggle. It’s been an uphill battle for a lot of soldiers.”

Trump also said the United States would not tolerate the mass killing of Christians in Nigeria.

TRUMP LEARNED A FAITH-BASED LESSON ON HOW BEST TO STAND HARD ON TRADE WITH CHINA

President Trump says the United States will not tolerate the mass killing of Christians in Nigeria. (Associated Press)

“They are killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria,” Trump said. “They are killing Christians and they are killing lots of people. We will not allow it.”

A day earlier, he had warned that the United States would withhold aid if Abuja did not stop the killings and said he might order rapid action to destroy Islamist terrorists after identifying Nigeria as a particular concern.

Persecution of Christians in Nigeria has reached crisis levels, with Islamist militants burning villages, slaughtering worshipers and displacing thousands of people in the northern and central regions.

When asked about possible US attacks on Venezuela, Trump said: “How can I answer such a question?” He refused to confirm or deny.

“Who can say that?” Trump asked a reporter. “Suppose – can I tell you this? To be honest. Yes, we have plans. We have top secret plans. Look, we’ll see what happens to Venezuela. Venezuela has sent us thousands, hundreds of thousands of people from prisons, mental hospitals, drug addicts, and so have other countries.”

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He accused President Biden’s immigration policies of allowing criminals to cross into the United States and called him “the worst president in the history of our country.”

Trump added: “So did other countries, because we were run by very stupid people, very, very stupid people. Biden is by far the worst president in the history of our country… They sent their prisoners to many countries; they sent drug dealers, they sent drug addicts. They sent everyone they didn’t want. They sent them through our country. And Venezuela was one of the worst abusers.”