On Monday, Scott Bessent, the Secretary of the US Department of the Treasury, announced that he would attend a hearing at the US Supreme Court this week, listening to the legal debate surrounding President Trump’s tariff policy. Bessent described the policy as a matter of “national security.”
In an interview with Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime” program on Monday, Bessent stated, “I do intend to be there to listen, hoping to sit in the front row and have a close-up view of the debate. This is a national security issue.”
When asked if his presence at the Supreme Court could be seen as potential pressure, Bessent mentioned that he would “emphasize that this is an economic emergency.”
Bessent’s announcement came after Trump stated that he would not attend the hearing. Trump posted on his social media platform, “Truth Social,” saying that he would not go to the Supreme Court on Wednesday, “because I do not want to distract attention from the importance of this decision,” adding that “in my view, this will be one of the most important and far-reaching decisions ever made by the U.S. Supreme Court.”
Trump had previously mentioned on October 15 that he was considering attending the Supreme Court hearing and called the case “one of the most important in our nation’s history.”
To date, there has been no precedent of a sitting president personally attending a Supreme Court hearing. Trump’s consideration itself underscores the central role of tariff issues in his economic agenda.
In a separate interview with Fox News’ “Fox News Sunday” program on Sunday, Bessent also discussed the tariff case, expressing optimism about the Supreme Court’s ruling.
When asked whether the Supreme Court could make a ruling unfavorable to the government, Bessent said, “Cross that bridge when we come to it.”
The hearing on Wednesday will combine two cases for debate as they are closely related, both concerning whether Trump has the authority to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Trump is a defendant in one case and a plaintiff in the other.