Trump says US will 'suffer greatly' if Supreme Court rules tariffs are illegal

President Donald Trump said on Sept 3 the US might have to "unwind" trade deals it reached with the European Union, Japan and South Korea, among others, if it loses a Supreme Court tariffs case, and warned that a loss would cause the US "to suffer so greatly".

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WASHINGTON -

Mr Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, said his administration will ask the Supreme Court to reverse a US appeals court ruling last week that found many of his tariffs were illegal.

The US President, however, said he thought his administration would prevail in the case.

"We made a deal with the European Union where they're paying us almost a trillion dollars. And you know what? They're happy. It's done. These deals are all done," he said. "I guess we'd have to unwind them."

The comments were his first specifically suggesting the trade deals reached with major trading partners — which were negotiated separately, outside of the tariffs — could be invalidated if the Supreme Court lets the Aug 29 ruling stand.