• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

1

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Economy

The longer the Supreme Court delays its tariff decision, the better it is for President Trump

Jim Edwards
By
Jim Edwards
Jim Edwards
Executive Editor, Global News
Down Arrow Button Icon
Jim Edwards
By
Jim Edwards
Jim Edwards
Executive Editor, Global News
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 14, 2026, 7:10 AM ET
Photo: President Donald Trump.
President Donald Trump takes questions from members of the press aboard Air Force One.Samuel Corum—Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

President Donald Trump announced on Monday he would impose a new tariff of 25% on any country trading with Iran. He also predicted disaster if the U.S. Supreme Court were to rule his tariff orders are illegal. The president estimated that “many Hundreds of Billions of Dollars” or even “Trillions” were at stake if the government was forced to refund anyone who paid them.

“It would be a complete mess, and almost impossible for our Country to pay,” he said on Truth Social. “If the Supreme Court rules against the United States of America on this National Security bonanza, WE’RE SCREWED!”

The court could issue a ruling as soon as today. It had been expected to rule last week. It is not clear why the court is delaying.

Recommended Video

But Wall Street analysts are increasingly sanguine about the ruling. As time goes by, many say, the tariff issue becomes less and less dramatic. And in the bigger macro picture, the tariffs are less significant than predicted.

The longer the delay in the ruling the more likely it is the court is leaning toward Trump, according to JPMorgan.

“Legal experts continue to expect the Supreme Court to rule against the use of emergency powers [under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act] to authorize tariffs, but note that each week the Supreme Court delays its decision increases the likelihood of the Trump administration prevailing,” JPMorgan analysts Amy Ho and Joyce Chang told their clients. “Historically, SCOTUS reserves its most impactful decisions for the end of its term in June, which allows for extended deliberation.” Both Supreme Court cases on the Affordable Care Act were pushed to June, they wrote.

The pair also note that in the underlying case, only $135 billion in potential tariff refunds are at stake. 

Although Trump has touted the tariffs as a method of paying off the $38 trillion national debt, the reality is that collections so far have been too small to have much of an effect, according to James Knightley, ING’s chief international economist in the U.S. “Since April, tariff revenues are up $206 billion in those eight months relative to [fiscal] 2024, but not all are the IEEPA tariffs—they are estimated to perhaps be $130 billion. Sounds a lot, but the U.S. is a $30 trillion–plus economy,” he told Fortune in an email.

“Many companies will be wary of drawing the ire of the president by claiming a refund, and the hoops to jump through to reclaim through the courts could be quite onerous and deter others. Hence the actual amount that is reclaimed may be quite a lot less than $130 billion.”

Besides, he said, even if Trump loses the Supreme Court case he will likely reimpose the tariffs via some other regulation. “Given tariffs are a signature policy and the Republican polling isn’t looking very strong right now ahead of the midterms, the administration will move swiftly to reinstate tariffs through other legally recognized routes. The promise of a $2,000 tariff dividend needs to be paid for somehow. This is merely shuffling money around seeing as Americans paid the tariffs in the first place only to get money returned, so it is difficult to argue this will be a major stimulus for the economy,” he said.

Tariff revenue is being generated at a current rate of $30.4 billion per month, for an annualized rate of $364.5 billion, according to data from Bloomberg provided to Fortune via Pantheon Macroeconomics. However, those revenues are already in decline as companies find workarounds and as Trump himself cuts deals, compromises, or delays the imposition of harsher measures. 

Convera analyst Antonio Ruggiero is also unruffled by the upcoming ruling. If the tariffs are ruled illegal, “we expect the immediate [foreign currency exchange] reaction to be limited, as the broader consensus is that alternative mechanisms will be found to keep tariff revenues intact.

“That said, in the medium term, we cannot exclude the possibility of mild bearish pressure on the dollar tied to expectations of further uncertainty and erratic trade maneuvers should the administration be forced to remove such tariffs, particularly at a time when USD sentiment is increasingly fragile amid concerns over Federal Reserve independence,” he advised clients in an email seen by Fortune.

Subscribe to Fortune Gulf Brief. Every Tuesday, this new newsletter delivers clear-eyed, authoritative intelligence on the deals, decisions, policies, and power shifts shaping one of the world’s most consequential regions, written for the people who need to act on it. Sign up here.
About the Author
Jim Edwards
By Jim EdwardsExecutive Editor, Global News
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jim Edwards is the executive editor for global news at Fortune. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Business Insider's news division and the founding editor of Business Insider UK. His investigative journalism has changed the law in two U.S. federal districts and two states. The U.S. Supreme Court cited his work on the death penalty in the concurrence to Baze v. Rees, the ruling on whether lethal injection is cruel or unusual. He also won the Neal award for an investigation of bribes and kickbacks on Madison Avenue.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Economy

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Economy

Young couple looking sad in front of a home with a for sale sign
Real EstateHousing
Gen Z and millennials aren’t convinced the American Dream exists anymore: Only 40% of them can afford to buy a home
By Tristan BoveJune 30, 2026
5 hours ago
Russian President Vladimir Putin
EconomyRussia
It started with one viral influencer complaining about Russia’s economy. Now a record 60% of Russians are pessimistic about their country’s outlook
By Tristan BoveJune 30, 2026
7 hours ago
A woman types into a kiosk at an airport.
Travel & LeisureAviation
‘You can expect prices to be high and stay high’: Domestic airfare is skyrocketing faster than international flight costs, despite using less jet fuel
By Sasha RogelbergJune 30, 2026
8 hours ago
mill
InvestingWealth
America added more than 1,200 millionaires per day in 2025, but the heyday of the ‘everyday millionaire’ is already over
By Nick LichtenbergJune 30, 2026
9 hours ago
US President Donald Trump arrives to speak during a Rose Garden Club dinner with American farmers at the White House in Washington, DC, on June 25, 2026.
EconomyBig Oil
Trump takes his inflation battle to gas retailers after his plot against the Fed runs aground—sets target for $2.50 a gallon
By Eleanor PringleJune 30, 2026
13 hours ago
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta
EconomyMarkets
AI stocks are in an ‘air pocket’ and Meta and Microsoft are being traded like ‘bear market names that cannot be owned,’ top analyst says
By Jim EdwardsJune 30, 2026
14 hours ago

Most Popular

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
1 day ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
6 days ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
4 days ago
'Humanity has chosen to become idiots': This Brown professor switched to take-home exams after a mass shooting and discovered mass cheating
AI
'Humanity has chosen to become idiots': This Brown professor switched to take-home exams after a mass shooting and discovered mass cheating
By Catherina GioinoJune 29, 2026
1 day ago
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
Environment
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
By Catherina GioinoJune 28, 2026
3 days ago
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
Commentary
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
By Marc AndersenJune 30, 2026
13 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.