Fox Business host Liz Claman shut down White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Thursday as he brushed off a federal trade court ruling that blocked Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs just moments before news broke of a federal appeals court reinstating them.
Navarro, when asked why the administration has used an “economic emergency justification” for the tariffs, said that the administration didn’t assume the courts would overturn the sweeping import taxes.
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“We feel like we’re on very strong legal ground,” said Navarro, who was reportedly “sidelined” on Trump’s legal team early last month.
He later continued to address the trade court’s ruling, “And with respect to the legal arguments themselves, these are rogue judges that are basically —”
Claman swiftly interjected, “One was appointed by Donald Trump. That’s a rogue judge?”
Navarro quickly shot back, “There was one appointed by Donald Trump —”
“And one by Reagan,” Claman added.
Navarro went on to refer to the Trump appointee on the trade court before calling the Reagan appointee — Judge Jane Restani, who wrote Wednesday’s decision — as a “free trader.”
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Navarro wasn’t alone in his criticism as senior Trump adviser Stephen Miller reacted to the trade court ruling on X, formerly Twitter, writing that the “judicial coup is out of control” and “we are living under a judicial tyranny.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday that the three-judge panel also “brazenly abused their judicial power” and looked to “usurp the authority of President Trump to stop him from carrying out the mandate that the American people gave him.”
Their comments on the ruling largely reflect Trump’s repeated attacks on judges who don’t fall in line with him or his administration’s policies.
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In his Fox appearance on Thursday, Navarro — reacting to Claman breaking the news on the federal appeals court pausing the trade court’s decision — said the ruling was “fully expected” as others were “wrong on the law.”
H/T: Mediaite
