The Japanese video game company demands a “refund with interest” of all duties paid due to Trump’s steep second-term tariff measures.

Nintendo sues the Trump administration over ‘unlawful’ tariffs

The Japanese video game company demands a "refund with interest" of all duties paid due to Trump's steep second-term tariff measures.

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

EW's editorial guidelines

March 8, 2026 11:24 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Still from 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie'. Credit:

Nintendo of America/YouTube

Nintendo is suing the government over President Donald Trump's second-term tariff measures, which it describes as "unlawful."

The Japanese video game company filed the complaint in the United States Court of International Trade on Friday. A copy of the complaint reviewed by * *names the Departments of Treasury, Homeland Security, and Trade, the Office of the Trade Representative, the Customs and Border Protection agency, and all of their attendant heads, including recently fired DHS secretary Kristi Noem, as defendants.

The complaint alleges that the government's "unlawful trade measures" have "resulted in the collection of more than $200 billion in tariffs on imports from nearly all countries." Taking issue with Trump's invoking of the International Economic Emergency Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA) to pass a suite of executive orders, Nintendo demands "prompt refund, with interest, of any IEEPA duties" paid out since February.

Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., in 2026.

Nicole Combeau/Bloomberg via Getty

Nintendo's complaint alleges that the IEEPA does not provide proper justification for the kind of tariffs imposed by Trump beginning in Jan. 2025, his first month back in office.

The company claims that the court must take action with respect to the refund demand "within two years after the cause of first action accrues."

Jimmy Kimmel trolls 'Nostradumb-ass' Donald Trump with past predictions about Iran war

'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie': All about the intergalactic sequel (and its new characters)

* *has reached out to representatives for The White House and Nintendo for comment.

Trump's first few months back in office saw tariffs of up to 25 percent imposed on China, Mexico, and Canada. On April 2, 2025, he invoked the IEEPA to impose a 10 percent reciprocal tariff on all imports to the U.S., with some countries designated for hikes up to 50 percent.

The president referred to his April tariff jubilee as "Liberation Day," but the policy has caused major backlash both at home and abroad for his administration.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our ******EW Dispatch newsletter******.***

Several states have filed suits similar to Nintendo, claiming crippling economic fallout from the economic regime. Even the Supreme Court, stacked with many of his own nominees, struck down several of Trump's most aggressive tariffs in a stunning 6-3 ruling in February.

Trump threatened to impose an eye-popping 100 percent tariff on all films made outside of the U.S. last May. He did not ultimately enact that threat, but did redouble it in September, claiming "our movie making business has been stolen from the United States of America, by other Countries, just like stealing 'candy from a baby.'"

- Entertainment Lifestyle

- Current Events

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Current”