Tariff-ic Excuses On The Sunday Shows!

We watch so you never have to!

SCOTUS told him constitutionally it’s a ‘No.’

After a 6-3 decision by the Supreme Court that Donald Trump must GTFOH with his “emergency tariffs” bullshit, and Tonce rump had a calm and rational meltdown response about it, his administration sent out its best messengers to the Sunday shows.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

Bessent made one of two appearances Sunday on CNN’s State Of The Union with host Dana Bash.

Because when we think of a relatable person who can calm average Americans about the huge economic clusterfucking mess made by these idiotic tariffs, we think of the reincarnated soul of a French Revolution aristocrat and 1980s movie villain.

Bash immediately dove into the one unanswered question from the SCOTUS ruling: How will the government return to the American people all the taxes it stole through tariffs? As Treasury secretary, it makes sense that Bash would ask Bessent about it.

Or so most people would have thought.

BASH: I do want to start with the big question. Will you refund the roughly $134 billion in revenue taken by these emergency tariffs?

BESSENT: Well, Dana, that's not the big question. […] when you say it's a big question, that's bad framing, because the Supreme Court didn't even address that. […] So the Supreme Court did not address refunds.

BASH: Sure. They didn't address refunds. That is clearly going to be up to you, which is why it is ...

BESSENT: No, no, no, Dana, it is not up to me.

BASH: Not you. Not you.

BESSENT: It is not up to the administration.

BASH: Yes.

BESSENT: It is up to the lower court. Let's just be clear on that.

It seems quaint to keep expecting these conservative hypocrites to live up to an ounce of the “accountability” and “personal responsibility” they preached for decades. Still, it never ceases to be an insult to the American people and how they view their intelligence.

Bash pushed further on Bessent’s attempt to pass the buck on responsibility.

BASH: OK. Well, the Justice Department told a federal appeals court in this very case last year, if tariffs imposed on plaintiffs during these appeals are ultimately held unlawful, then the government will issue refunds to plaintiffs.

BESSENT: Again, I'm not going to get out ahead of the court. We will follow the court's direction, but, as I said, that could be weeks or months away. That decision was not rendered on Friday.

BASH: What do you think? You're the Treasury secretary. What do you think should happen? In the past, you have said it is possible.

BESSENT: Again, I want to point to what we're doing.

Bash continued pushing by asking if countless small business owners in America who paid these tariffs would be refunded.

BESSENT: Again, I'm not going to get out ahead of the court. We don't know what arrangements were made.

Foreign suppliers?

BESSENT: Again, I had an opinion. And the court did not agree with my opinion. So, Dana, I'm going to wait for the lower court opinion.

Will you return the tariffs in a box?

Will you announce them while on Fox?

Can you find the billions you stole here or there?

Will you return them anywhere?

I do not think we’ll see them back.

They’re forever stolen by this hack.

Maybe another Trump administration official would have better luck trying to polish this economic turd.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer

Greer appeared on multiple Sunday shows, but we are going to focus on ABC’s This Week.

Greer spoke with Martha Raddatz about the ramifications of the SCOTUS tariff decision. But while calmer and less smugly condescending than Bessent, Greer is no less deluded or aloof.

RADDATZ: This is not popular with the American people. In our latest poll, two-thirds of Americans are not happy with the tariffs.

GREER: Well, the president’s been campaigning on tariffs and protecting American industry for many years. And he does what he says. He delivers on his promises. And so, the policy hasn’t changed.

In other words, screw you. They could refund the money they stole, but they won’t until a court makes them do it eventually.

That’s some real “divorced dad who owes back child support but won’t pay until you make him” energy.

Have a week.

Follow Michael Mora on Bluesky and Threads. (If you are still on Twitter, I’m also HERE)

You can subscribe to Michael Mora’s Substack, The Diasporican Writer, for additional thoughts and topics!