‘Hasn’t happened since yesterday’: John Kennedy roasts federal court for blocking Trump tariffs

Republican Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy teased his “shock” on Wednesday on “The Ingraham Angle” over a three-judge panel blocking President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.

The three-judge panel on the New York-based Court of International Trade released a court filing Wednesday announcing they’re blocking Trump’s reciprocal tariffs through the use of his emergency powers. During an interview on Fox News, host Laura Ingraham broke the federal court’s filing to Kennedy. She asked the senator to react.

“You mean that a federal judge has intervened with the other two branches’ ability to make policy? I’m shocked. That hasn’t happened since yesterday,” Kennedy teased. “It’ll be appealed. I think it’s pretty clear that the president has tariff authority. Congress gave it to him.”

“Now, you can debate whether that was a prudent move or not, but I think it’s pretty clear that he has tariff authority,” Kennedy added.

In April, Trump declared his “Liberation Day” of sweeping reciprocal tariffs against several countries, adding that while a baseline 10% tariff would apply across the board, countries with high tariffs against the U.S. would face higher rates. After the announcement, the Trump administration faced lawsuits saying the president overreached his executive authority.

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In the federal court’s filing, the judges said that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not “authorize any of the Worldwide, Retaliatory, or Trafficking Tariff Orders.” With the Trump administration immediately filing an appeal, Ingraham told Kennedy the Supreme Court will eventually get involved.

“Yeah, so they’re gonna go to the Supreme Court, Senator. It was a three-judge panel, two Republican appointees on the court, one Biden appointee, and it was focused on the use of that IEEPA statute. So that’s where it was focused, but this is a long way out,” Ingraham said. “This is gonna be challenging.”

“Well, sooner or later, the Supreme Court is going to have to address this,” Kennedy said. “Those who oppose the executive branch and those who oppose the legislative branch and are seeking recourse in the courts are at some point going to dig up more snakes than they can kill.”

Shortly after Trump’s “Liberation Day” announcement, China hit the U.S. with a retaliatory tariff after Trump imposed higher rates on the country. Despite entering a tariff war, just days later, Trump said the U.S. would place a 90-day pause on the reciprocal tariffs for all countries, except China.

With China hit by a 145% tariff from the U.S., Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in May that the U.S. held its first discussions with the foreign country, saying they made substantial progress. Bessent previously said that more than 10 trading partners have approached the U.S. during the 90-day pause to negotiate trade deals.

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