US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (April 21) said he would “remember” American companies that choose not to seek refunds for , even as a government system begins processing more than $160 billion in potential repayments following a landmark court ruling.
was asked about a number of large companies, among them Apple and Amazon, that have not filed requests for refunds for the tariffs they paid, potentially because they are worried about “offending” Trump.
Asked if he would find it offensive for them to seek a refund, said, “Brilliant if they don’t do that.”
“Actually, if they don’t do that, they’ve got to know me very well,” he said. “I’m very honored by what you just said.”
“If they don’t do that, I’ll remember them,” said.
Trump’s remarks to CNBC came a day after introduced under emergency powers.
The refunds follow a February decision by the , declaring the measures legally void.
Supreme Court blow to tariff policy
In a on February 20, the by imposing broad import taxes under a law designed for . The court said the move effectively bypassed Congress’ constitutional role in setting taxes, dealing a significant legal setback to the administration’s trade policy.
While the ruling did not directly address refunds, a subsequent decision by the US Court of International Trade established that .
Refund process underway
CBP data shows the scale of the refund exercise. More than 330,000 importers paid tariffs on over 53 million shipments, contributing roughly $166 billion in duties. As of mid-April, 56,497 importers had already completed registration for the refund process, covering claims worth about $127 billion, including interest.
The newly launched system—known as CAPE—will consolidate refunds into single electronic payments rather than processing them shipment by shipment. Once approved, refunds are expected to be issued within 60 to 90 days.
However, officials have indicated that payments will be rolled out in phases, prioritising more recent tariff transactions. Technical and procedural hurdles could delay some claims, meaning reimbursements may take time to fully reach businesses—and even longer to filter down to consumers.
Political and economic fallout
The question of who benefits from the refunds has become politically sensitive. While businesses are eligible to reclaim the duties as importers of record, consumers—who ultimately bore the cost through higher prices—are not directly compensated.
Limited initial eligibility
Not all claims will be processed immediately. The first phase of the system focuses on cases where tariffs were either estimated but not finalised or fall within a specific post-accounting window. Importers must also submit detailed declarations of affected goods and register with CBP’s electronic payment system to qualify.
