Trump’s power to declare a national emergency is a national emergency.

[ThisIsMe]

Why can Trump just say everything is an “emergency” and do whatever he wants?

When President Donald Trump announced his tariffs last week, he also declared a national emergency. According to the White House, the emergency in question is “the large and persistent trade deficit,” or the fact that the United States imports more goods than it exports.

If you’re confused about why that’s an emergency, you’re not alone. So are experts. But regardless of whether the trade deficit is an actual crisis (it isn’t), the reason Trump declared an emergency is straightforward: He wanted to invoke his emergency powers — specifically those granted to him under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act — to quickly implement his new trade policy. (Had Trump not declared an emergency, he could still have implemented tariffs, but he would have had to follow certain procedures first.)

Related

• The best legal case against Trump’s tariffs, explained

There is no legal definition of an emergency. Anything can be an emergency, so long as the president deems it to be one. And while some crises — like, say, a pandemic — warrant an emergency declaration, presidents often invoke their emergency powers over events that hardly merit that level of urgency.
Why can Trump just say everything is an “emergency” and do whatever he wants?

How the President Is Misusing Emergency Powers to Impose Worldwide Tariffs
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-w...ing-emergency-powers-impose-worldwide-tariffs

Do I even need to say any other prez would have had his emergency powers stripped by Congress by now? Cuz.......you know........of the impulsive recklessness. But congressional Repubs live in fear of becoming a target for retribution. So they remain silent while Don shakes his tariff rattle. He's the last person in the world who should have this broad based power.

Can we really make claim to being a great nation after electing a complete imbecile like trump?

Win both houses in 2026 and impeach/remove him..

 

[westwall]

Why can Trump just say everything is an “emergency” and do whatever he wants?

When President Donald Trump announced his tariffs last week, he also declared a national emergency. According to the White House, the emergency in question is “the large and persistent trade deficit,” or the fact that the United States imports more goods than it exports.

If you’re confused about why that’s an emergency, you’re not alone. So are experts. But regardless of whether the trade deficit is an actual crisis (it isn’t), the reason Trump declared an emergency is straightforward: He wanted to invoke his emergency powers — specifically those granted to him under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act — to quickly implement his new trade policy. (Had Trump not declared an emergency, he could still have implemented tariffs, but he would have had to follow certain procedures first.)

Related

• The best legal case against Trump’s tariffs, explained

There is no legal definition of an emergency. Anything can be an emergency, so long as the president deems it to be one. And while some crises — like, say, a pandemic — warrant an emergency declaration, presidents often invoke their emergency powers over events that hardly merit that level of urgency.
Why can Trump just say everything is an “emergency” and do whatever he wants?

How the President Is Misusing Emergency Powers to Impose Worldwide Tariffs
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-w...ing-emergency-powers-impose-worldwide-tariffs

Do I even need to say any other prez would have had his emergency powers stripped by Congress by now? Cuz.......you know........of the impulsive recklessness. But congressional Repubs live in fear of becoming a target for retribution. So they remain silent while Don shakes his tariff rattle. He's the last person in the world who should have this broad based power.

Can we really make claim to being a great nation after electing a complete imbecile like trump?

Whhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Carry on!

 

[BackAgain]

President Donald Trump declared a national emergency last week to address what he described as harmful foreign trade and economic practices. Invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, he announced new, sweeping tariffs — taxes that are paid by U.S. importers and then typically passed on to customers. A baseline 10 percent tariff on goods from almost every country worldwide took effect on Saturday, and higher rates for goods from dozens of countries started on Wednesday.

Leaving aside the economic policy concerns, using an emergency declaration to impose tariffs is a clear abuse of presidential emergency powers. It’s the latest in a long list of overreach and lawlessness by the current administration.

Feel free to comment on the subject of the thread. Otherwise, GFY.

Your contention is that his declaration is somehow an “overreach” and constitutes “lawlessness.”

Support your claims and contentions, shithead. Until then, you can stow your suggestion that others should “GFY.”

Fuck off, bug.

 

[Lesh]

Why can Trump just say everything is an “emergency” and do whatever he wants?

When President Donald Trump announced his tariffs last week, he also declared a national emergency. According to the White House, the emergency in question is “the large and persistent trade deficit,” or the fact that the United States imports more goods than it exports.

If you’re confused about why that’s an emergency, you’re not alone. So are experts. But regardless of whether the trade deficit is an actual crisis (it isn’t), the reason Trump declared an emergency is straightforward: He wanted to invoke his emergency powers — specifically those granted to him under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act — to quickly implement his new trade policy. (Had Trump not declared an emergency, he could still have implemented tariffs, but he would have had to follow certain procedures first.)

Related

• The best legal case against Trump’s tariffs, explained

There is no legal definition of an emergency. Anything can be an emergency, so long as the president deems it to be one. And while some crises — like, say, a pandemic — warrant an emergency declaration, presidents often invoke their emergency powers over events that hardly merit that level of urgency.
Why can Trump just say everything is an “emergency” and do whatever he wants?

How the President Is Misusing Emergency Powers to Impose Worldwide Tariffs
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-w...ing-emergency-powers-impose-worldwide-tariffs

Do I even need to say any other prez would have had his emergency powers stripped by Congress by now? Cuz.......you know........of the impulsive recklessness. But congressional Repubs live in fear of becoming a target for retribution. So they remain silent while Don shakes his tariff rattle. He's the last person in the world who should have this broad based power.

Can we really make claim to being a great nation after electing a complete imbecile like trump?

The GOP Congress is just gutless. They see the damage Trump is doing, they know they have the power to stop him… and they just wring their hands

 

[WEATHER53]

Which judge is most likely to declare “national emergency” illegal?

 

[Nostra]

Why can Trump just say everything is an “emergency” and do whatever he wants?

When President Donald Trump announced his tariffs last week, he also declared a national emergency. According to the White House, the emergency in question is “the large and persistent trade deficit,” or the fact that the United States imports more goods than it exports.

If you’re confused about why that’s an emergency, you’re not alone. So are experts. But regardless of whether the trade deficit is an actual crisis (it isn’t), the reason Trump declared an emergency is straightforward: He wanted to invoke his emergency powers — specifically those granted to him under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act — to quickly implement his new trade policy. (Had Trump not declared an emergency, he could still have implemented tariffs, but he would have had to follow certain procedures first.)

Related

• The best legal case against Trump’s tariffs, explained

There is no legal definition of an emergency. Anything can be an emergency, so long as the president deems it to be one. And while some crises — like, say, a pandemic — warrant an emergency declaration, presidents often invoke their emergency powers over events that hardly merit that level of urgency.
Why can Trump just say everything is an “emergency” and do whatever he wants?

How the President Is Misusing Emergency Powers to Impose Worldwide Tariffs
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-w...ing-emergency-powers-impose-worldwide-tariffs

Do I even need to say any other prez would have had his emergency powers stripped by Congress by now? Cuz.......you know........of the impulsive recklessness. But congressional Repubs live in fear of becoming a target for retribution. So they remain silent while Don shakes his tariff rattle. He's the last person in the world who should have this broad based power.

Can we really make claim to being a great nation after electing a complete imbecile like trump?

The meltdown continues……….

 

[John Edgar Slow Horses]

Pretty sure every President has had that power also pretty sure they have all stretched what constitutes a national emergency.

Not like this goofus.

 

[John Edgar Slow Horses]

The entire 4 years of corn pop was a national emergency, actually biden was a national threat to the country.

Sure, he was.

 

[Tumblin Tumbleweed]

The American people elected their representatives that gave the President this power, the American people elected Trump.

Your attack on the rule of law is a threat to our democracy.

Naw. You are just a part of this fraud.

 

[scruffy]

Can you show trump's approach is well conceived and founded on tariffs, not trade imbalances? And that he not abused his temporary power?

To a whining demented leftard?

Probably not.

Not even worth the effort.

 

[struth]

Naw. You are just a part of this fraud.

what's the fraud? What did I say that wasn't true?

 

[Independent thinker]

Why can Trump just say everything is an “emergency” and do whatever he wants?

When President Donald Trump announced his tariffs last week, he also declared a national emergency. According to the White House, the emergency in question is “the large and persistent trade deficit,” or the fact that the United States imports more goods than it exports.

If you’re confused about why that’s an emergency, you’re not alone. So are experts. But regardless of whether the trade deficit is an actual crisis (it isn’t), the reason Trump declared an emergency is straightforward: He wanted to invoke his emergency powers — specifically those granted to him under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act — to quickly implement his new trade policy. (Had Trump not declared an emergency, he could still have implemented tariffs, but he would have had to follow certain procedures first.)

Related

• The best legal case against Trump’s tariffs, explained

There is no legal definition of an emergency. Anything can be an emergency, so long as the president deems it to be one. And while some crises — like, say, a pandemic — warrant an emergency declaration, presidents often invoke their emergency powers over events that hardly merit that level of urgency.
Why can Trump just say everything is an “emergency” and do whatever he wants?

How the President Is Misusing Emergency Powers to Impose Worldwide Tariffs
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-w...ing-emergency-powers-impose-worldwide-tariffs

Do I even need to say any other prez would have had his emergency powers stripped by Congress by now? Cuz.......you know........of the impulsive recklessness. But congressional Repubs live in fear of becoming a target for retribution. So they remain silent while Don shakes his tariff rattle. He's the last person in the world who should have this broad based power.

Can we really make claim to being a great nation after electing a complete imbecile like trump?

Seriously? Come on. Democrats were the ones who started with the everything is a national emergency thing. They taught Republicans how to do it!

 

[struth]

Seriously? Come on. Democrats were the ones who started with the everything is a national emergency thing. They taught Republicans how to do it!

Right? A Dem Congress and Dem President literally signed the law that authorized Trump to do this

 

[Independent thinker]

Right? A Dem Congress and Dem President literally signed the law that authorized Trump to do this

Seriously? Come on. Democrats were the ones who started with the everything is a national emergency thing. They taught Republicans how to do it!

 

[John Edgar Slow Horses]

Superbly put OP. Trump is a walking national emergency to the Republic.

 

[Dragonlady]

Trump declared a state of emergency at the southern border and within 90 days illegal crossings have slowed to a trickle.

Trump declared a state of economic emergency in order to impose tariffs and now partners are scrambling to re-negotiate.

When you declare a state of emergency and that declaration and related activity yields positive results, then folks applaud.

Do these radical changes also bring pain?

Yes.

But things have been so bad ( invasion, trade deficits ) that draconian action was required and that implies some pain.

Both situations had become intolerable and unsustainable and highly detrimental to the long-term interests of The People.

What had been missing until recently was the perception to recognize the situation and the courage to act upon it.

The pain will pass.

The beneficial outcomes will endure.

Based on outcomes so far... good luck with "selling" the notion that Trump is abusing his power to declare Emergencies.

Illegal crossings had slowed to a trickle BEFORE Trump was elected.

Trading partners are not "scrambling to renegotiate". Trading partners are abandoning trade with the USA in favour of more reliable and stable trading partners.

The pain has just begun. It won't be passing anytime soon. The damage is permanent.

 

[Kondor3]

Illegal crossings had slowed to a trickle BEFORE Trump was elected.

Only in the handful of months just prior to the November 2024 general election.

The overall track-record of the Biden Administration in this regard was truly disasterous.

They only began to crack-down and pay attention as the election drew near.

And by that time the damage (inflicted by Biden et al) had already been done.

Trading partners are not "scrambling to renegotiate".

Depends on which news outlets your paying attention to, I guess.

Trading partners are abandoning trade with the USA in favour of more reliable and stable trading partners.

I would not blame them but that's not going to happen.

The pain has just begun. It won't be passing anytime soon. The damage is permanent.

That is entirely possible, and, if true, the pain will be self-inflicted.

If Canada wants to trade more with the China and the UK we cannot stop them.

Just don't come crying to us the next time you need us.

 

[berg80]

Some businesses don't think so.

U.S. businesses sue to block Trump tariffs, say trade deficits are not an emergency​

A group of businesses on Monday sued President Donald Trump, seeking to block new tariffs that he has imposed on foreign imports in recent weeks.

The lawsuit alleges that Trump has illegally usurped Congress’ power to levy tariffs by claiming that trade deficits with other countries constitute an emergency.

“His claimed emergency is a figment of his own imagination: trade deficits, which have persisted for decades without causing economic harm, are not an emergency,” the suit says. “Nor do these trade deficits constitute an ’unusual and extraordinary threat.”

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/14/us-businesses-sue-to-block-trump-tariffs-say-trade-deficits-are-not-an-emergency.html

These emergency powers trump keeps claiming are really just a way to expand the power of his presidency beyond its legal limits.

 

[kyzr]

LOSES. Congress gave the president tariff authority, duh.

How Congress delegates its tariff powers to the president | Constitution Center

President Donald Trump is expected to announce wide-sweeping tariffs on Wednesday, in a move with potentially broad consequences. So how does the president have the ability to levy tariffs under the Constitution?

constitutioncenter.org

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

The lawsuit alleges that Trump has illegally usurped Congress’ power to levy tariffs by claiming that trade deficits with other countries constitute an emergency.

Of course there’s no ‘emergency’ – that’s just another of Trump lies.