“To show you how ridiculous the opinion is, however, the court said that I’m not allowed to charge even one dollar… under IEEPA. Not one dollar. I assume to protect other countries. This must have been done to protect those other countries. Certainly not the United States of America, which they should be interested in protecting. That’s what they’re supposed to be protecting. But I am allowed to cut off any and all trade or business with that same country. In other words, I can destroy the trade. I can destroy the country. I’m even allowed to impose a foreign country destroying embargo. I can embargo. I can do anything I want. But I can’t charge one dollar…”
That was President Donald Trump on Feb. 20 responding to the U.S. Supreme Court’s narrow ruling overturning his use of emergency tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), while leaving in place other tariffs with more explicit delegations by Congress and the power for the President, under the laws Congress has enacted, to completely embargo all trade from an entire country if he deems it to be necessary.
Naturally, the President’s opponents are keying in on his statement “I can destroy the country” out of context, misrepresenting his stance that he was somehow referring to the United States to be destroyed, and not the countries to be embargoed by the President to protect the United States — and ignoring the irony that he can cut off trade to achieve his foreign policy objectives, but not use a tariff under IEEPA.
But that is par for the course, more than a decade into the Trump era. Democrats and their media mouthpieces take something the President has said, invert its meaning or lie about it, and respond to the inversion or lie. Just pretend it’s the opposite of what he clearly said.
Or, just ignore the substance of his remarks altogether, and focus for example on his comments on individual justices who voted against him in the decision.
Anything but what the President actually said.
In so doing, Democrats remind the American people every day about how to really destroy the country: With open borders, unlimited immigration and unbridled foreign dumping of goods wrecking domestic production. By defunding the Department of Homeland Security, immigration enforcement and police against violent criminals who the American people say they want to deport. By blocking legislation to require citizenship to register to vote and photo identification to vote in elections.
That is why after the 2020 election, former President Joe Biden opened the floodgates, letting 10.8 million illegal aliens to penetrate the southern border. Trump had supported a secured border, Trump was bad and so open borders must be good! So it could be after 2028, as borders are reopened for immigration and the trade barriers that are insourcing for example GPU chip production away from vulnerable countries like Taiwan and bringing it into the U.S.
The good news for the President is he has another opportunity with the State of the Union Address on Feb. 24, by far his largest potential audience of the year, but understanding that Democrats and disaffected independents largely won’t be listening. It will still largely be a Republican audience.
It’s like turning off the television when your team loses in the playoffs, so you stop paying attention. But you see the highlight reel from the championship game and you’re still angry.
The President can still talk about embargoes, and how he plans to use them, and explain his views on the Supreme Court’s decision, who will be in audience—and avoiding the pitfalls that came from the press conference, instead focusing on the use of tariffs and trade sanctions to protect the country, end wars and defend American workers.
Democrats will still spend more time voting in 2026 than paying attention to what the President actually said. They’re going to tune the President out. His rhetorical challenge is to get independents and weak Republicans to tune back in on the things he wants to talk about — and who’s really going to destroy the country — and then to stay on message.
Robert Romano is the Executive Director of Americans for Limited Government.
