Navarro slams US court ruling on Trump tariffs: 'Never said they were permanent'

Peter Navarro insisted that the tariffs were never meant to be permanent, and none of the top Trump administration officials ever made the assertion.

Updated on: Sep 1, 2025, 09:22:49 IST

By HT News Desk

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White House trade adviser Peter Navarro lashed out on a federal appeals court's ruling on retaliatory tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump, and said the administration "never said" the duties would be imposed permanently. A majority of Trump's tariffs were declared illegal by the court a significant setback to one of the President's key economic policies.

White House trade advisor Peter Navarro (REUTERS)

Reacting to the ruling, Navarro insisted that the tariffs were never meant to be permanent, and none of the top Trump administration officials ever made the assertion.

In an interview with Fox News, Navarro said, "...but we never said they (tariffs) were permanent...you can't find Lutnick, Bessent, Greer, myself or the President saying that."

In a 7-4 ruling, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit had said that the tariffs were illegal because Donald Trump did not have authority to impose them. However, the tariffs were remain imposed till October 14, giving the Trump administration time to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Navarro has been a staunch supporter of Trump's tariff move against several countries, especially India. He has been a vocal critic of India's oil trade with Russia and the slapping of additional 25% tariffs because of that.

He called the US court's ruling a “weaponised partisan injustice”, amplifying Trump's sentiment on the matter. “Without Tariffs, and all of the TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS we have already taken in, our Country would be completely destroyed, and our military power would be instantly obliterated,” Trump had said, reacting to the order.

Navarro is optimistic that the Supreme Court would rule in the government's favour in this regard, saying the dissenting opinions in this vote were “very, very strong”.

"We feel very optimistic. If we lose the case, President Trump is right. It will be the end of the United States," he added.

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HT News Desk
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