Trump warns companies that haven't applied for tariff refunds... Political tensions escalate

As the Trump administration in the United States launches a court-ordered process for refunding illegal tariffs, President Trump said he would remember companies that do not apply for refunds, adding further political tension to companies’ efforts to respond to the renewed measures.

On the 21st, in a phone interview with CNBC, President Trump was asked about the fact that major companies such as Apple and Amazon did not attempt to claim tariff refunds. He said that if they did not do so, it meant he understood him very well. He then added that he would remember the companies that do not apply for refunds. This was interpreted as a remark going beyond a simple administrative procedure, revealing that companies are taking action based on considerations related to their relationship with the White House.

This refund is a follow-up measure based on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that reciprocal tariffs are unlawful. Starting the day before, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection began an online refund system aimed at refunding approximately $166 billion (about 245 trillion won in Korean currency). According to materials submitted by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to the U.S. International Trade Court, there are 330,000 importers eligible for refunds, with a total of 53 million import shipments. Because the scale is so large, the actual refund process is very likely to take a considerable amount of time and administrative costs.

However, the Trump administration has also made clear that, in practice, it will restore tariff policies blocked by the court ruling through other channels. President Trump said he is collecting tariffs in other ways and that it will ultimately produce the same result. This means that alternative measures such as Section 301 of the Trade Act will be used to restore the tariff framework to the level before the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, suggesting that even if the refunds are completed, the overall tone of trade protectionism will not weaken on its own.

In the same call that day, President Trump also took a hard-line stance on monetary policy and external economic issues. He said that he would be disappointed if Kevin Waugh does not immediately cut the benchmark interest rate after being approved by the Senate to become the next chair of the Federal Reserve, and he argued that the United States should have the lowest interest rates in the world. He also referred to the current Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell, saying he would continue to review suspicions of overspending on renovations at the Federal Reserve headquarters. In addition, he revealed that he recently had a good conversation at the White House with the artificial intelligence company Anthropic, suggesting the possibility of improved relations. Regarding the possibility of a currency swap agreement with the United Arab Emirates, he said it is a very special time, indicating willingness to support. Taken together, these developments may mean that the United States is moving toward coordinating and handling issues such as tariffs, interest rates, technology, and support for the Middle East within a single economic security framework.