## When Principles Depend on Who’s President
Let’s talk about selective memory for a second. Democrats spent Friday celebrating the Supreme Court’s decision to block Trump’s tariff strategy like they’d just won the Super Bowl. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called it “a big victory for the American people” and took a shot at Trump as a “wannabe king.” Chuck Schumer piled on with his own victory lap, declaring that Trump’s “illegal tariff tax just collapsed.”
Here’s the thing, though. These same voices weren’t exactly rushing to the microphones when their own party championed tariffs as economic leverage. You know what that looks like? Political opportunism dressed up as constitutional concern.
The irony is thick enough to cut with a knife. For years, Democrats have supported strategic tariffs when it suited their narrative about protecting American workers and manufacturing. Biden kept many of Trump’s original China tariffs in place. He even added new ones on steel, aluminum, and electric vehicles. Where was Schumer’s outrage then? Where were the press conferences about “governing by decree”?
## The Convenient Evolution of Trade Policy
This isn’t about whether tariffs work. That’s a legitimate economic debate with smart people on both sides. Some argue they protect domestic industries and give us negotiating power. Others say they’re just taxes on consumers that spark retaliation. Fair enough.
But watching Democrats suddenly discover their free-trade principles the moment Trump uses the same tool is something else entirely. It’s like watching someone oppose speed limits only when their political opponent is driving.
The Supreme Court made its ruling based on constitutional grounds about executive authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. That’s a serious legal question about separation of powers and whether presidents can unilaterally impose sweeping trade restrictions. Constitutional scholars can debate the merits. Jonathan Turley and others will dissect the legal reasoning for months.
What grates, though, is the pretense. Democrats aren’t celebrating because they’ve suddenly become devoted constitutionalists worried about executive overreach. They’re celebrating because they get to hand Trump a loss.
## Where Were These Concerns Before?
Think back to the rhetoric around protecting American steel workers. Remember when supporting tariffs made you a champion of the working class? Biden campaigned on buying American and strengthening domestic manufacturing. His administration maintained a tough stance on China, including trade barriers that looked remarkably similar to Trump’s approach.
The difference wasn’t policy. It was the name on the door of the Oval Office.
This matters because voters aren’t stupid. They see through this kind of theater. When your principles shift based on who’s implementing them, you don’t actually have principles. You have talking points.
Republicans have their own inconsistencies, sure. But there’s something particularly brazen about Schumer calling tariffs an “illegal tariff tax” when his party has spent years defending similar measures as necessary economic policy. The American people deserve better than this kind of selective outrage.
## The Real Cost of Political Games
Here’s what gets lost in all this partisan point-scoring: actual policy discussion. Are tariffs the right tool for addressing trade imbalances with China? Should presidents have broad emergency powers on economic matters? How do we protect American workers without triggering trade wars that hurt consumers?
These questions matter. They affect real families trying to make ends meet, manufacturers deciding whether to build here or abroad, and our long-term economic competitiveness.
But instead of honest debate, we get victory laps and “wannabe king” soundbites. We get Chuck Schumer suddenly concerned about executive overreach after his party spent years expanding federal authority in every other direction.
The Supreme Court made its decision. The legal process worked. But let’s not pretend this Democratic celebration is about principle. It’s about politics, pure and simple. And that kind of inconsistency is exactly why Americans are tired of Washington’s games.
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