Chris Matthews Rips Trump’s Bid to ‘Grab’ Tariff ‘Authority’ as a ‘King Move’

Morning Joe pundit Chris Matthews accused President Donald Trump of “trying to become a king” with “this attempt to grab the authority over tariffs” from Congress, which the panelist branded “a king move.”

The remarks came as the Supreme Court weighs whether the president can keep using emergency law to slap tariffs on trading partners.

Speaking on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Thursday, Matthews likened the power to what was once wielded by the British-imposed tax codes that sparked the American Revolution. He said: “You know, in a very time that people are rallying against no kings in this country, we don’t need a king. We got rid of that 250 years ago, and we’re celebrating that next year. No kings!”

Rounding on the president, he continued: “And then Trump is trying to become king. If you look at this attempt to grab the authority over tariffs from the U.S. Congress, that is a king move. He wants to be the power man to decide on all taxes involving imports. He’s clearly up to that. And he also is doing it with the filibuster.”

“Everything Trump is doing is to grab more power and to become a king,” he added.

At stake is whether the president can keep using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to levy sweeping import taxes, a legal move no previous president attempted, and one that Trump claims has brought in “hundreds of billions” and serves as leverage to force deals overseas. In late October, Trump invoked the emergency power to raise tariffs by 10% on Canada after a Canadian ad critical of his tariffs policy featured former President Ronald Reagan.

But the Supreme Court justices sounded deeply skeptical on Wednesday and overturning the strategy could force mass refunds and puncture the fiscal architecture of Trump’s second term.

The court will decide whether Congress actually meant to hand over tariff authority wholesale to the executive. If the justices say no, the president would still have limited tariff tools but nothing as instantaneous, broad or politically usable as has been seen to date.

If they say yes, any future president would be able to tax imports based on almost anything he or she declares an “emergency.”

Watch above via MSNBC.