White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. AP=Yonhap News. 

The White House stated on the 4th (local time), one day before the Supreme Court hearing on the legality of the Trump administration's tariff policies, that it "remains optimistic that the Supreme Court will make the right ruling."

During a press briefing that day, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, "We are 100% confident in the legal arguments presented by the President and his team in this case."

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hold oral arguments on the 5th to determine the legal basis for the tariffs imposed by President Trump on various countries worldwide. President Trump has argued for the legality of imposing tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

Press Secretary Jean-Pierre asserted, "The President must have emergency powers to use tariffs," claiming that President Trump has used tariffs as leverage to secure peace agreements and end conflicts around the world, and to attract trillions of dollars in investments to the United States.

However, when asked if there was a "Plan B" if the Supreme Court ruled unfavorably for the Trump administration, Jean-Pierre responded, "The White House always has a Plan B ready."

Jean-Pierre did not elaborate on the specific Plan B.

Nevertheless, it has been speculated that even if the Supreme Court ultimately rules that tariffs imposed under the IEEPA are illegal, President Trump would continue to impose tariffs by utilizing other measures such as Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act or Section 301 of the Trade Act.

Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act grants the President the authority to restrict imports of articles that negatively affect national security, allowing President Trump to significantly expand item-specific tariffs. Section 301 of the Trade Act can also be used as a basis for imposing tariffs as a means to respond to foreign unfair trade practices.

Meanwhile, Press Secretary Jean-Pierre reiterated President Trump's stance that the advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chip, Blackwell, from U.S. company Nvidia, will not be sold to China.

She stated, "We have no intention of selling the Blackwell chip to China at this time."

Previously, when asked about supplying Blackwell to China and other countries, President Trump had said, "The new Blackwell chip is 10 years ahead of all other semiconductors," and "I will not give it to other people (countries)."

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