President Donald Trump on Tuesday signaled appreciation for U.S. companies that choose not to pursue refunds on tariffs paid under his administration’s trade policies, framing the decision as a patriotic contribution to strengthening the nation.
Speaking in a live phone interview with CNBC on the second day of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) new electronic refund portal, Trump highlighted reports that major firms like Apple and Amazon had not yet applied for reimbursements. He described the choice as “brilliant” and said he would “remember” such companies.
“It’s brilliant if they don’t do that,” Trump stated. “If they don’t do that, I’ll remember them. I will tell you that, because I’m looking to make this country strong.”
Trump has long portrayed tariffs as a tool to protect American industries, bring manufacturing back home, and address trade imbalances — particularly with countries like China. He has characterized the payment of these duties by U.S. importers as a form of support for national priorities. In the interview, he contrasted companies seeking refunds with those showing restraint, at one point referring to recipients of large refund checks as potentially benefiting “the enemy” or “people that have hated the United States.
“The comments come amid the rollout of the CBP’s CAPE system, launched on April 20, 2026, to process applications for up to $166 billion in potential refunds. This follows a February 2026 Supreme Court ruling that struck down sweeping global tariffs imposed by Trump under a 1977 national emergency law, with the court determining the measures exceeded presidential authority. A subsequent court order required the creation of the refund mechanism.
Payments are not expected until 60 to 90 days after applications are accepted, and a temporary stay issued Tuesday by Judge Richard Eaton requires a progress report from CBP by April 28, with an appeal deadline set for June 7.
Some companies, including Costco, FedEx, and Mondelez, have pursued legal action to secure faster refunds. Others, such as Walmart and Amazon, have not filed lawsuits — a step experts interpret as a potential effort to maintain positive standing with the administration.
Trump expressed optimism about alternative tariff approaches moving forward, noting that his team is developing measures under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. These would involve investigations and public comments, with implementation possibly starting in July. He suggested the new structure could ultimately generate even greater revenue for the U.S., describing it as “a little more unwieldy” but consistent with established trade practices.
“We’re doing it a different way. We’re going to end up with the same — actually, we’ll end up with bigger numbers, actually,” Trump said.
MacDailyNews Take: As the refund process unfolds and new tariff frameworks take shape, companies face strategic choices that could influence their relationships with the administration and their role in broader efforts to reshape U.S.-international trade dynamics. Trump’s remarks suggest that restraint on refunds are very likely be viewed favorably as support for U.S. national priorities going forward.
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We will all remember Trump created an illegal tariff — an unlawful tax on every American, that has damaged American industry, and hurt the country’s standing as a marketplace, a global financial leader, and an exporter of goods.
Dude it’s not an illegal tariff, it’s just an undocumented tariff.
Delusional Mad King Don the second – laughing stock for the rest of the planet…
TDS in action above !!!
You guys are a joke and live in a delusional world!
I see the trolls with severe TDS are visiting this site today. Trump used presidential executive powers that multiple past POTUS’ put to work too. Your lib dopes on the Supreme Court that can’t define “what is a woman” and/or are unfamiliar with the actual US Constitution have damaged any credibility the SCOTUS used to have; and Chief Justice Roberts needs to be replaced too for seeing which way the wind blows every day instead of sticking to the constitutional framework as does Justice Thomas and the assassinated Anton Scalia.
C’mon First Then, weigh in on this and set the loonies straight once again.
First: Does anyone believe Trump would forgo a refund if he were entitled to one?
Second: Trump is threatening companies who are simply requesting basic restitution for his illegal actions?
Third: While litigating the case last spring, DOJ lawyers repeatedly claimed that issuing refunds for the tariffs would be no problem if they were deemed illegal, therefore, the courts should simply let the tariffs stand while the case was being litigated. So why does Trump have a problem with the refunds?
Third
Sorry, NO president has used tariffs in any way near what Trump has done.
No president before Trump has levied tariffs on a country because a provincial leader ran an historically true ad that hurt the president’s feelings.
No president has raised tariffs on a country just because their leader was mean to the president over the phone.
No president has tried to enforce completely random and arbitrary tariffs on the essentially the entire world, including islands that are mainly occupied by penguins.
And no president before Trump has ever seemed to have such a complete misunderstanding of what a trade deficit is and means.
“As the refund process unfolds and new tariff frameworks take shape, companies face strategic choices that could influence their relationships with the administration and their role in broader efforts to reshape U.S.-international trade dynamics. Trump’s remarks suggest that restraint on refunds are very likely be viewed favorably as support for U.S. national priorities going forward.”
In other words, Trump doesn’t like it when your actions highlight his illegal actions.
King Taco …can hardly remember what day it is, let alone who asked for their illegal tarrif monies back