It can be argued that Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to justify the levies was illegal because it does not authorize the president to impose tariffs; rather, it authorizes specific emergency actions, such as sanctions or freezing assets, to protect the nation from foreign threats. Trump also used the IEEPA to launch global “reciprocal” tariffs Wednesday.
But a strong argument is that the president has broad constitutional power on international trade including tariffs.
