President Trump defended his declaration on Friday that American companies were “hereby ordered” to find alternatives to manufacturing in China, claiming that the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act gave him the power to make such a pronouncement.

Trump took aim at the press for questioning his authority to order businesses out of China, tweeting, “For all of the Fake News Reporters that don’t have a clue as to what the law is relative to Presidential powers, China, etc., try looking at the Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977. Case closed!”

For all of the Fake News Reporters that don’t have a clue as to what the law is relative to Presidential powers, China, etc., try looking at the Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977. Case closed! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 24, 2019

Trump had previously cited the 1977 act, which gives the president the power to regulate commerce during exceptional international crises, earlier Friday before departing for the Group of Seven summit in France.

In a string of tweets Friday morning, the president said he was ordering U.S. companies to “immediately start looking for an alternative to China,” beginning with making their products in the United States.

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