Anchor: U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he will consider alternatives if the Supreme Court rules that his tariffs are unlawful. Trump claimed that such a ruling would be devastating for the U.S. and that much revolves around tariffs as a mechanism for national security.
Kim Bum-soo has the latest.

Report: U.S. President Donald Trump says a Supreme Court ruling against his tariff policy would be "devastating" for the United States.

Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump expressed hope of winning the case, saying that his administration would not have been able to make "phenomenal deals" with the European Union, Japan or South Korea without the tariffs.

[Sound bite: US President Donald Trump]    
"We thought we did very well yesterday. We hope that we did. I think it would be devastating for our country, but I also think that we'll have to develop a 'game two' plan. We'll see what happens. Most people tell me we did very well."

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday began considering the legality of the tariffs Trump has imposed on nations around the world.

[Sound bite: US President Donald Trump]    
"I think this is the best one. And we can do other things, but they are slow by comparison. And like, as an example, with the 100 percent, I was able to do it instantaneously. We were threatened by the rare earths, the magnets, and I did it instantaneously. It was a matter of seconds. And it was in a matter of seconds that I got a phone call, 'Let's work this out.' We would have had not nearly the defense that we had. It would be a shame. It would be somewhat catastrophic for our country, I have to be honest with you."

But during Wednesday’s hearing, conservative and liberal justices raised questions about whether Trump illegally bypassed Congressional authority by invoking the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose his tariffs.

Legal experts said if the global tariffs are ruled unlawful and suspended, U.S. importers who have paid them—including the U.S. subsidiaries of South Korean companies—may be able to seek refunds.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer also said in an interview with Fox News on Thursday that if the government loses the case, it would be on the hook for the tariffs plaintiffs paid on imported purchases.

That could leave the U.S. on the hook for at least 100 billion U.S. dollars.

Though the top U.S. court could take until June 2026 to make its ruling, it is expected to decide sooner.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.