President Donald Trump celebrated a U.S. Court of International Trade ruling upholding his authority to end the “de minimis” exemption that had allowed qualifying foreign shipments valued at less than $800 to enter the country without tariffs.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump declared victory Thursday after the U.S. Court of International Trade upheld his administration’s decision to eliminate the longstanding “de minimis” tariff exemption for imported packages valued at less than $800.
The ruling rejected a challenge brought by importers seeking to restore the exemption and affirmed the president’s legal authority to rescind the trade benefit, according to Trump.
The de minimis provision had allowed qualifying low-value packages shipped into the United States to avoid customs duties and tariffs. Trump has argued that the system evolved into a major avenue for foreign sellers to bypass U.S. trade policies while receiving substantially less scrutiny than conventional imports.
Trump celebrated the decision on Truth Social, calling the exemption one of the worst loopholes in American trade policy.
“BIG WIN today at the U.S. Court of International Trade on one of the most DESPICABLE loopholes in American Trade Policy — The so-called ‘de minimis’ exemption,” Trump wrote. “For years, Foreign Shippers could send packages worth up to $800 into our Country, DUTY FREE, NO TARIFF, far less scrutiny. It became a giant loophole for TARIFF Cheats — and a Pipeline exploited by Fentanyl Traffickers, Counterfeiters, and other Criminals shipping dangerous and illegal products into America.”
Trump said the policy resulted in billions of dollars in lost tariff revenue while also being exploited for shipments of illegal narcotics and counterfeit goods.
“In 2024 alone, de minimis cost America an estimated 10.8 BILLION DOLLRS in foregone TARIFF Revenue, and an astonishing share of narcotics and counterfeit seizures came through the de minimis channel. So, we CLOSED IT,” Trump said.
The president also emphasized that the change was made through his own executive action.
“With the stroke of my mighty pen — NO AUTOPEN!!! — we ended this ridiculous giveaway, and made Foreign Goods play by the rules. The Importers sued. Today, THEY LOST. The Court ruled that the President had the Legal Authority to rescind this so-called ‘privilege.’”
The ruling is significant because the importers’ lawsuit directly challenged the administration’s ability to terminate a trade mechanism that had become an important part of the rapidly expanding low-value import business.
Under the previous policy, foreign shipments worth as much as $800 could enter the United States without duties that would ordinarily apply to imported merchandise above that threshold.
Trump’s administration has contended that the arrangement put American companies at a disadvantage by allowing large quantities of foreign merchandise to reach U.S. consumers without the tariffs and customs treatment applied to other imports.
The president has also linked the exemption to broader concerns over customs enforcement, counterfeit merchandise and fentanyl trafficking.
The legal victory comes amid an ongoing political fight over whether Congress should revive some version of the low-value import exemption.
Earlier this year, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro warned that lawmakers were attempting to restore the policy under a different name.
Navarro characterized the de minimis system as a “deep swamp scam” and argued that companies involved in package delivery had a financial incentive to preserve a structure that allowed foreign goods to avoid Trump’s tariffs.
His criticism reflected the administration’s broader view that the exemption had moved far beyond its original purpose and was being used at a scale that undermined U.S. trade enforcement.
The court decision leaves Trump’s elimination of the exemption in place following the importers’ challenge.
For the administration, the ruling provides judicial support for one of its efforts to tighten tariff enforcement and close pathways that officials say allow foreign products to enter the United States without being subjected to the same duties as other imports.
Trump portrayed Thursday’s ruling as validation of both the policy and the authority he used to implement it, arguing that foreign sellers will now be required to compete under the tariff rules applied to other imported goods.
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