According to the Wall Street Journal, after participating in oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court regarding tariffs, Treasury Secretary Bessant stated at the White House that he was "very optimistic" about a government victory. Bessant then addressed a glaring contradiction between President Trump and his deputy attorney general on tariffs: just on Wednesday, Trump stated that tariffs were a significant source of federal revenue, while his lawyers argued in court that increasing revenue was not the goal of taxation—a crucial legal distinction. Bessant said tariffs were designed as a wall to protect American manufacturing, and he believes that tariff revenue will decline over time as domestic industry develops and imports are replaced. "So the goal is balance," Bessant said.