NPR Interview on Legal Challenges to Trump's IEEPA Tariffs

Steve Inskeep of NPR interviewed me about the case against Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs.

On Monday, Steve Inskeep of NPR interviewed me about the case against Trump's "Liberation Day"  IEEPA tariffs filed by the Liberty Justice Center and myself. This interview only went for about five minutes, so we didn't cover the issues as thoroughly as in some previous interviews I have done, such as those with KQED and Forbes. But this is a good, short introduction to the case (helped by the pointed questions Inskeep asked) and a lot of people contacted me to say they liked it. So I am posting the audio, which is also available here.

I cover the legal issues at stake in much greater detail in my Lawfare article, "The Constitutional Case Against Trump's Trade War." In a recent post, I explained why Trump's tariff agenda threatens the rule of law, in addition to damaging the US economy.

Comments

[Dan Schiavetta]

Trump is trying to kill NPR and will probably succeed.
Making our media landscape even stupider. NPR is head and shoulders above anything else on the dial. Note the intelligent questions by Inskeep and Ilya’s intelligent answers.

[Malika the Maiz]

He wants to kill anything that is not total Sycophancy. The Mad King has the thinnest skin.

[Roger S]

NPR radio is anti-Trump all the time. It has never broadcast anything balanced on any Trump issue. It should be defunded, and lose its tax-exempt status. It is just political propaganda.

[David Nieporent]

NPR radio is anti-Trump all the time. It has never broadcast anything balanced on any Trump issue.

A news agency should not be "balanced" between truth and lies; it should only report the truth. Since the truth is anti-Trump, any legitimate news source will be anti-Trump.

[ah....Clem]

Trump is trying to kill NPR and will probably succeed.

NPR gets only a small percentage of their budget from federal funds, primarily through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Many of their affiliates in smaller, rural communities are dependent on CPB funding, but the big stations in large cities, as well as NPR itself, will weather this storm.

The bigger problem is that their new CEO does not understand journalism and is impossible to work for, but that's a story for another thread.

[James K. Polk]

NPR is DNC propaganda, and is an expression of the stupidest and most authoritarian edge of progressive thought. It should not receive federal funding, nor should any other media outlet.

[pkboucher801]

I mostly agree with Professor Somin's arguments on this issue, but I'll note that every lawsuit has advocates on both sides, and to interview an advocate for one side only is NPR's modus operandi, and it's always the anti-Trump side that gets presented.

The questions like "What else is wrong with the president's construction here?" are typical.

I wish there were a news outlet that kept reporting and opinion separate and balanced the opinion from both sides of issues like this.

[ah....Clem]

I suppose you missed the recent interview with Kevin Roberts - president of the Heritage Society and one of the primary authors of Project 2025.

https://www.npr.org/2025/04/30/nx-s1-5381119/heritage-foundation-trump-100-days

[pkboucher801]

That interview was fairly adversarial as opposed to the softballs professor Somin got, Juana repeatedly interrupted and contradicted Roberts.

Instead of "What else is wrong with the president's construction here?" we got “I just want to note that we've seen such volatility in the stock market for weeks. Investors have lost billions, and there is economic data out today showing the economy contracting. Will the president continue to have the support he needs if the economy perhaps tips into recession?”

[ah....Clem]

[ah....Clem]

Just a reminder that the point of the tariffs is to allow Trump, and only Trump, to pick winners and losers in the marketplace.

He can slap tariffs on his perceived enemies and grant exceptions to those who pay him tribute. All the post-hoc rationales like "restoring manufacturing jobs" are just so much BS.

If you're arguing about whether they tariffs are good for the economy (they're not) you're missing the point.

[thesafesurfer]

You read Ilya's articles and thank your lucky stars that he has no government authority.

[James K. Polk]

"NPR interviews resistance lawyer and open borders advocate Ilya Somin" would be a more honest title.