Trump: "If We Lose Tariff Lawsuit, Trade Deals With South Korea and Others Could Be Voided"

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U.S. President Donald Trump stated that if he loses the reciprocal tariff lawsuit, trade agreements signed with various countries, including South Korea, could become invalid.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki (left) and U.S. President Donald Trump. Photo by AFP

On September 3 (local time), during a meeting at the White House with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, President Trump commented on the tariff lawsuit, saying, "I believe this is one of the most important cases I have seen before the U.S. Supreme Court." He added, "Our country has a chance to become incredibly wealthy again, but if we do not win this case, we could become incredibly poor again. However, I believe we will win big."

Previously, on August 29, the appellate court ruled that while the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which President Trump used as the basis for imposing reciprocal tariffs, grants the president the authority to regulate imports, it does not include the authority to impose tariffs through executive orders. The court suspended the effect of its decision until October 14 to allow the administration to appeal, and the Trump administration plans to take the case to the Supreme Court.

President Trump emphasized that the United States has long been taken advantage of in trade by other countries, but has responded through tariffs, stressing the importance of winning the Supreme Court ruling. He said, "We have signed an agreement with the European Union (EU) under which they will pay us almost 1 trillion dollars. This agreement is all settled." He continued, "If we lose the lawsuit, I think we will have to unwind it. We have signed agreements with several countries, including Japan and South Korea, and we plan to sign with other countries as well." The Trump administration also pointed out in a statement submitted to the court that if they are unable to impose reciprocal tariffs, it would hinder trade negotiations with other countries and make it difficult to prevent negotiation delays or retaliatory tariffs from counterparties.

President Trump's remarks on this day are interpreted as emphasizing that trade agreements with various countries are based on "reciprocal tariffs." Since the agreements were reached on the condition of lowering reciprocal tariff rates set for each country, Trump argues that if the court's decision invalidates reciprocal tariffs themselves, the relevant agreements would also become void, resulting in losses to U.S. national interests.

Previously, on July 30, South Korea agreed with the United States to lower the reciprocal tariff rate from 25% to 15%, in exchange for $350 billion in investment in the United States and the purchase of $100 billion worth of U.S. energy products.

Additionally, during the meeting, when asked whether U.S. troops would remain in Poland, President Trump replied, "Yes," and added, "If Poland wants, we will station more troops. Poland has long wanted more U.S. troops." He continued, "We have never even considered removing troops from Poland. We are considering this for other countries," he said.

Recently, the Trump administration has reportedly been reviewing the global repositioning of U.S. forces in response to rapidly changing security conditions. The term "remove" used by President Trump on this day could include not only withdrawal but also the relocation of troops to other regions, leading to speculation that the reduction or redeployment of U.S. forces in certain countries may be pursued.

In particular, with approximately 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, the country will need to closely monitor future developments. In a meeting with President Lee Jaemyung on August 25, President Trump was asked whether he was considering reducing U.S. forces in South Korea and replied, "I don't want to talk about that now. We are friends." However, he simultaneously expressed his intention to secure ownership of U.S. military base sites in South Korea. This stands in stark contrast to his statement that he would increase U.S. troops in Poland if additional forces were needed.

Currently, about 10,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Poland. The United States deployed troops to Poland during the Barack Obama administration after Russia forcibly annexed Crimea in 2014. Subsequently, the Joe Biden administration increased U.S. troop presence in Poland after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The additional deployment of U.S. troops in Poland could be used by President Trump as a card to keep Russia in check.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.