12 States sue Trump over tariffs - call trade strategy ‘illegal’ and ‘reckless’

A coalition of 12 U.S. states filed a lawsuit on Wednesday, April 23, challenging President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, arguing the administration violated constitutional limits by bypassing Congress.

Led by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, the Democratic-leaning states assert that Trump’s aggressive trade measures — including a 145 per cent tariff on Chinese imports and 10 per cent levies on other trade partners — are both unlawful and harmful to American consumers.

“President Trump’s insane tariff scheme is not only economically reckless — it is illegal. No matter what the White House claims, tariffs are a tax that will be passed on to Arizona consumers,” Mayes said in a scathing statement.

The lawsuit contends that Trump’s use of a 1977 law to invoke emergency powers and impose tariffs circumvents the Constitution, which grants Congress, not the executive, authority over trade policy.

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The complaint warns that the president’s broad interpretation of emergency powers “has upended the constitutional order and brought chaos to the American economy.”

States joining Arizona in the suit include Minnesota, New York, Oregon, and several others. California filed a similar lawsuit independently last week.

Trump, who has long touted tariffs as a tool to restore American manufacturing, defended his approach Wednesday, telling reporters he is working on a “fair deal with China.”

Beijing, however, has retaliated with its own 125 per cent tariffs on U.S. goods, escalating trade tensions.

The president’s policies have already sent markets into a spiral, and the political fallout appears to be mounting.

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According to the New York Times, Trump’s approval rating has dipped to 44 per cent — the lowest of his current term. Democrats are seizing the moment to spotlight economic strain under Trump’s leadership.

California Governor Gavin Newsom last week blasted the policy, calling it “the worst own-goal in the history of this country.”

The outcome of the legal challenge could set a pivotal precedent on the limits of presidential authority in trade — and potentially reshape the nation’s economic trajectory.