Mullin: U.S. Must Stop Apologizing for Power and Project Strength After Supreme Court Ruling

By Jim Thomas | Friday, 20 February 2026 07:18 PM EST

Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma stated on Newsmax Friday that the United States must project strength abroad and cease “apologizing for our power and our greatness.”

The senior member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations defended President Donald Trump’s economic agenda following the Supreme Court’s ruling this week that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize tariffs.

During an interview on “Ed Henry: The Big Take,” Mullin framed the tariff debate as a critical test of whether America will continue leveraging global influence or retreat from leadership. He warned that if the country “takes a back seat,” it risks losing worldwide influence.

Mullin noted the court found that “you used the wrong law” and characterized Trump’s response as labeling the issue a “national security” matter. In Learning Resources Inc. v. Trump, the Supreme Court held the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not permit tariffs on goods.

The senator argued the tariff dispute is inseparable from broader trade and manufacturing concerns, stating: “It is a national security issue because we have subsidized these Third World countries and their middle class.”

Mullin added that while U.S. workers have suffered, the United States has built China’s economy by sending trillions of dollars overseas to absorb manufacturing jobs. He explained, “Then they sent the products back to us, and we purchased them,” noting the dollars re-entered global markets.

“The president is the first one to actually get this right, and the America First agenda addresses all of this,” Mullin said.

When asked about foreign policy under President Trump, Mullin emphasized: “When you start talking about the foreign policy that President Trump is pushing out there, if the United States takes a back seat, we start apologizing for our power and our greatness to some degree.”

He continued: “Then what type of foreign policy do we have? That’s what you had underneath the Biden administration.” Mullin further stated that President Trump has used these principles to strengthen the economy and bring manufacturing jobs back home.

The senator outlined three key components of Trump’s approach: “one, winning elections; two, going after those taking advantage of the generosity of the American people; and three, using peace through strength to stabilize the country and showing we are still the world power.”