Farewell press conference with Musk planned: Trump calls ruling on tariff ban "terrible"

Despite his partial victory in the tariff dispute in court, Trump is backing down. The US president commented that the reversal of his decrees was "political" and called the judges "backroom crooks." Elon Musk apparently has a press conference scheduled for his last day of work for the government.

US President Donald Trump has called the US Trade Court's ruling against his administration's tariff surcharges "horrible" and "so political." He called on the nation's Supreme Court to overturn the Trade Court's ruling "swiftly and decisively," he said on his online network Truth Social. "Backroom 'crooks' must not be allowed to destroy our nation!" the US President continued.

The Trade Court lifted most of the tariff surcharges imposed by Trump on US trading partners on Wednesday. The ruling stated that the US president had exceeded his authority by invoking a 1977 emergency law. The US government appealed. On Thursday, an appeals court ruled that the tariffs could remain in effect for the time being during the appeals process.

Against the backdrop of the punitive tariff policy, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul warned against new trade restrictions. "A strong and successful transatlantic partnership will continue to require strong economic relations in the future," the CDU politician told the "Bild" newspaper. "New tariff barriers harm everyone – Americans and Europeans," he added. Asked whether punitive tariffs would hit Europe or the US harder, Wadephul replied: "I think both would be equally hard. It's a lose-lose game. Both sides would lose." According to "Bild," the foreign minister declined to comment on the recent court rulings in the US. "The US is a constitutional state," he reportedly said. "The American judiciary operates independently."

Musk's last day at Dogecoin: "He will always be with us"

Meanwhile, Trump announced that he and tech billionaire Elon Musk will hold a press conference this Friday regarding Musk's departure from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The press conference is scheduled to take place at 1:30 p.m. (local time, 7:30 p.m. CEST). Friday will be Musk's last day at DOGE, Trump explained. However, Musk is "not really" leaving, "because he will always be with us to help all the time."

The world's richest man announced his retirement as a "special government employee" on Wednesday. He was responsible for cutting jobs and spending in government departments and agencies at the Donald Trump-created government department, DOGE. The billionaire now wants to focus more on his companies, including the struggling automaker Tesla and the space company SpaceX.