Trump Will Not Attend Trade Tariff Trial At Supreme Court

JAKARTA - US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he will not attend the Supreme Court's verbal hearing on legality of trade rates to many countries.

The Supreme Court judges are scheduled to attend hearings on Wednesday to discuss the tariff case. Trump said although he wanted to attend, he didn't want to interfere with the proceedings.

"I really want to go," Trump said.

"I just don't want to do anything that will distract from the importance of that decision. I don't want too much attention to myself. It's not about me, it's about our country," Trump continued.

The trial in the US highest court on Wednesday will focus on Trump's broad global tariff legality in a major test for one of his boldest statements on executive rule over issues that have been at the core of its economic and trade agendas.

The Supreme Court has accepted the Justice Department's appeal against a lower court ruling that Trump has exceeded his authority in imposing most of its tariffs under a 1977 law known as the International Emergency Economic Power Act.

The rates are opposed by various businesses and 12 US states.

Trump defended his tariffs to balance global trade flows, citing years of high import duties charged by other countries over US imports. He said his rates had increased US revenue and pushed the stock market to a series of record highs.

"If we don't have tariffs, we don't have national security, and the rest of the world will laugh at us because they have used tariffs on us for years and used us," he said.

"We are the target of abuse by many other countries, including China. For years, no longer. The tariff has given us extraordinary national security," Trump stressed.