President-elect Trump has vowed to impose sweeping tariffs with or without the support of Congress. The big picture: While setting tariffs is a power typically afforded to Congress, the executive branch can also do so without congressional approval under special circumstances like over economic emergencies and national security issues.

President-elect Donald Trump claims he can unilaterally impose sweeping tariffs on U.S. imports. The reality is more complicated, according to trade experts.

Trump hasn’t been shy about his love for tariffs — which are a tax on goods imported from other countries — calling them “the greatest thing ever invented” on the campai