One Ruling Won’t Stop the Takeover

The court checked Trump’s tariff overreach; but his war on co-equal power is just beginning. This isn’t trade policy; it’s a test run for dismantling democracy, one branch at a time.

Guest article by Ben Meiselas

The James L. Watson Court of International Trade Building on Foley Square

In a much-needed moment of clarity and constitutional courage, the Court of International Trade actually did its damn job; ruling that President Trump’s unilateral imposition of sweeping global tariffs was not just illegal, but flat-out unconstitutional. You heard that right. The emperor of impulsiveness, the high priest of petty retribution, has been told “No.” And if there’s one thing I know Trump despises more than a mirror that reflects reality, it’s being told he’s not above the law.

So, let’s be clear: this wasn’t just some misguided economic policy cooked up at Mar-a-Lago over Big Macs and Diet Cokes. This was a shakedown. A mafia move wrapped in our flag. A strongman’s attempt to bully the world into paying tribute, and when the money didn’t come fast enough, he made them kiss the ring for tariff “waivers.” And just like that, multinationals and entire nations found themselves playing The Apprentice: Global Edition, where the only prize was avoiding economic disaster.

The court’s ruling was scathing, unflinching, and patriotic. They affirmed what the Constitution has made clear since 1787: The power to impose tariffs, to regulate international commerce, rests with Congress. Not with one man. Not with a wannabe despot who governs by tweet and temper. Think about this: on Monday he slaps on a 150% tariff like he’s imposing penalties on a contestant who forgot their lines; Tuesday, he walks it back to 20% because—surprise—someone with actual knowledge whispered in his ear that maybe, just maybe, this isn’t how global markets work. By Friday? Well… no one knows. Not even him.

But Trump doesn’t care about process. He doesn’t even care about results. He cares about domination. Optics. Control. That’s what the tariffs were always about: leveraging fear to gain compliance. If he could force corporations to beg for exemptions, he could show them who’s boss. If he could make foreign governments bow, he could pretend to be the great negotiator. Except he wasn’t negotiating. He was extorting. And the court just called his bluff—BIGLY!

Now here’s the part that should really keep you up at night: What’s he going to do about it?

Because if you think this man—this ego wrapped in flesh—takes kindly to limits on his power, you haven’t been paying attention. Trump is allergic to accountability. The judiciary? A nuisance. Congress? A sideshow. Checks and balances? That’s for suckers and losers. He doesn’t just want to bend the Constitution; he wants to rewrite it in gold leaf with his name stamped at the top like a Trump University diploma.

This ruling isn’t going to stop him. It’s going to provoke him. It’s going to feed the paranoid narrative he’s been selling to his base: that the courts are rigged, that the judges are all Soros-funded, leftist lunatics, that the system is stacked against him, and that only he can save America from, well… America. He’s already testing the waters with executive orders that read more like royal decrees. You think it’s an accident that his inner circle is exploring ways to strip Congress and the courts of their co-equal powers? It’s not paranoia. It’s strategy.

Trump wants a unitary executive. Period. He wants to concentrate the power of government into a single throne—which, conveniently, he plans to occupy. No more congressional oversight. No more judicial review. Just one man, one vision, one tariff-fueled temper tantrum at a time.

We’ve seen the blueprint before: Hungary. Turkey. Russia. Authoritarian regimes that start by bending the judiciary, then breaking it. Trump is watching. Learning. And if you think he’s not dreaming of ruling by fiat, you're more delusional than the folks still waiting for JFK Jr. to show up at Dealey Plaza.

What makes this moment so critical is that the courts—at least for now—are holding the line. They're saying: No, Mr. President, you are not an economic dictator. No, you cannot rewrite trade law with a Sharpie. No, you cannot turn tariffs into tools of personal vengeance and grift.

But the court’s courage will mean nothing if Congress continues its habitual cowardice. Because let me tell you something I learned the hard way: Trump doesn’t respect law; he respects power. And if he smells weakness—if he senses that Congress will fold rather than fight—he will steamroll every institution that gets in his way.

So here’s the real question we all must be asking ourselves: When Trump retaliates—and I promise you he will—who’s going to stop him? Will it be the courts, again? Will Congress finally grow a spine? Or will the rest of us wake up one morning in a country where one man sets the taxes, picks the winners, and punishes the rest?

This isn’t just about tariffs; it’s about whether we will still live in a democracy or just lease one from Trump’s ego.

And if we don’t hit the brakes now—like right now—the next stop is a Mar-a-Lago monarchy: where loyalty is mandatory, truth is optional, and the Constitution gets valet parked.

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