US President Donald Trump on 25 July vigorously defended his administration's latest tariff measures at a White House question-and-answer session, asserting that the duties would survive legal challenges and had already attracted $19.2 trillion in investment to the United States. The remarks came after an event on civilian nuclear energy and addressed a range of trade flashpoints, including a fresh probe involving the European Union.

Trump's Claims on Investment and Tariff Impact

Trump credited his tariff agenda with an unprecedented surge in foreign and domestic investment. 'Because of tariffs, largely... we have $19.2 trillion being invested in our country,' he said, contrasting the figure with what he described as less than a trillion dollars invested during the Biden administration over four years. 'We have $19.2 trillion for one year. There's never been anything like it in history,' he added. Independent economists have not verified this figure, and the basis of the calculation was not elaborated upon during the session.

Legal Basis After Supreme Court Ruling

Asked whether newly announced tariffs and the EU trade probe would survive judicial scrutiny, Trump acknowledged that his administration had adjusted its legal approach following a recent Supreme Court ruling. 'I thought the decision by the Supreme Court was not a good one,' he said. 'But we have many forms of tariffs and all we did is... follow the line.' He maintained that the administration had pivoted to alternative statutory authorities previously used by prior governments. 'The Supreme Court said, please do it a different way. You have other ways to do it and we did that last month,' Trump explained. This comes amid ongoing legal scrutiny of the administration's trade actions, with courts having questioned the statutory grounds for some of the earlier tariff orders.

Child Labour Cited in Trade Action

During the session, a reporter noted that the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) had cited child labour as one of the reasons behind a recent trade action. Trump confirmed it appeared to be among the factors considered. 'They go all over the world and they look and they examine... and child labour was one of the reasons,' he said, without identifying any specific country or elaborating further on the scope of the probe.

Broader Trade Policy Context

Tariffs have been a cornerstone of Trump's economic agenda since his return to office, with the administration arguing that import duties incentivise companies to relocate manufacturing to the US while generating federal revenue. Major economies — including China, the European Union, and several Asian trading partners — continue to monitor Washington's trade actions closely as negotiations and legal disputes over tariff authorities evolve. Critics argue that the duties raise costs for American consumers and businesses that depend on imported inputs, while supporters contend they are rebuilding domestic industrial capacity. The administration's repeated emphasis on tariffs as an economic driver signals that trade policy will remain a defining feature of US economic strategy in the months ahead.