'Wow': WSJ editors knife Trump administration's 'out-of-this-world' legal argument

The Wall Street Journal's conservative editorial board rebuked arguments that the Trump administration's lawyers made in court about his tariff policy in a new op-ed on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump has raised tariffs on multiple U.S. trading partners since taking office, a move that has been heavily contested in the courts. The Constitution gives Congress the power to impose tariffs, although the GOP has largely supported the president's efforts.

On Friday, Trump warned on Truth Social that if judges rule against his tariff policy, then a "1929-style" depression would occur in the U.S. The warning shocked the WSJ's editorial board.

"Wow. Ending a tax increase means depression. Who knew?" the editorial board wrote.

The board was also shocked to see Trump's lawyers repeat Trump's logic in court.

"That’s the out-of-this-world argument that Solicitor General John Sauer and Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate made this week in a letter to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit," the editorial reads in part. "The judges must give the President unilateral power to impose tariffs on any country at any time, or the end is nigh."

"Better buy gold and put your cash in a mattress," it continues.

The editorial board chided the lawyers for adopting Trump's style in their arguments.

'The letter to the Federal Circuit judges illustrates the Trump style: try to intimidate by exaggerating the impact of a decision he doesn’t like and suggest he’ll blame the judges," the editorial adds.

"We trust the judges won’t fall for it," the editors wrote.

Read the entire column by clicking here.