With Trump’s tariffs deemed illegal by the Supreme Court, Costco stands to win big both financially and on reputation |
With Trump’s tariffs deemed illegal by the Supreme Court, Costco stands to win big both financially and on reputation
Costco Wholesale has won the loyalty and almost religious devotion of tens of millions of members thanks to one tenet in how it has run its business since its founding decades ago. Everything it does is aimed at keeping costs low so it can offer shoppers the deals on top merchandise that keep them coming back in droves week after week.
It was in that spirit that Costco last autumn became one of the first major companies (along with the likes of Revlon and motorcycle-maker Kawasaki) to sue the Trump administration over its “Liberation Day” tariffs regime. Its strategy was vindicated on Friday, when the U.S. Supreme Court slapped down those tariffs as unconstitutional.
Costco was seen at the time as taking a big risk by being the most prominent U.S. company to publicly oppose President Trump, on his signature issue at that, at a time many CEOs seemed (as they still do) to live in terror of landing in the president’s crosshairs. Still, this was not an ideological move, but rather a classic Costco business move.
In its filing last December with the U.S. Court of International Trade, Costco said its lawsuit was intended to ensure it was eligible for a full refund if the Supreme Court........