Trump raises tariffs to 15% on imports from all countries | Trump tariffs
Donald Trump announced Saturday that he would raise temporary tariffs on U.S. imports from all countries from 10% to 15%, less than 24 hours after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the legality of his flagship trade policy.
Angered by the Supreme Court’s decision on Friday that he overstepped his authority and must seek congressional approval for tariffs he imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) last year, the US president took umbrage with judges who blocked him from using the tariffs, calling them a “disgrace to the nation” and ordered, under a separate law, an immediate 10% tariff on all imports on top of existing duties.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday announcing further increases, Trump wrote: “I, as President of the United States, will, effective immediately, increase the 10% Worldwide Tariff on Countries, many of which have ‘exploited’ the United States for decades, to the fully permissible and legally tested level of 15% without retaliation (until I show up!).”
Under Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act (which has never been used), the law allows the president to impose a tax of up to 15% for 150 days, although it faces legal challenges. After that, the administration must receive congressional approval. Trump said during that 150-day period his administration will work to enact new, “legally permissible” tariffs.
While Trump’s announcement claimed that the new tariffs would go into effect “immediately”, it was unclear whether any official documents confirming the timing had been signed. white house information note The statement released Friday regarding the original 10% tariffs stated that the duties will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. ET on Tuesday, February 24.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Saturday he would head to Washington with a coordinated European position after the US supreme court dealt a blow to Trump’s tariff agenda and warned of the “poison” of further uncertainty.
He said that he expected the burden on German companies to ease after the supreme court’s rulings but added: “I want to try to make it clear to the American government that tariffs harm everyone.”
“The biggest poison for the European and US economies is the constant uncertainty about tariffs. And this uncertainty needs to end,” Merz said.
In fact, the new 15% tax rate raises new questions for countries such as the UK, which previously agreed to a 10% tariff with the USA.
William Bain, head of trade policy at the British Chamber of Commerce, said of the latest hike: “This will be bad for trade, it will be bad for US consumers and business, and it will weaken global economic growth. Businesses on both sides of the Atlantic need a period of clarity and certainty. Higher tariffs are not the way to achieve this.”
Some products, including critical minerals, metals and pharmaceuticals, will be exempt from temporary tariffs. Other exemptions include USMCA-compliant products from Canada and Mexico.
Meanwhile, the high court’s decision does not affect separate industry-specific tariffs that Trump imposed on steel, aluminum, lumber and autos under a different U.S. law and are still in effect.
Trump continued his aggressive tariff policies in an attempt to stimulate US production. The US has already collected at least $130 billion in tariffs using IEEPA. latest government data.
However, research shows that the vast majority (90 percent) of this amount is spent. Paid by US businesses and consumers. Top businesses in the US have begun demanding refunds from the federal government, but Trump said Friday the refunds would not come without a lengthy legal battle.
Also on Saturday, Trump continued to criticize the high court’s 6-3 decision as “ridiculous, poorly written, and extraordinarily un-American” in a Truth Social post, following unusually personal attacks on the justices the previous day.
At the White House on Friday, Trump told reporters: “I’m ashamed of some members of the court. I’m absolutely ashamed that I didn’t have the courage to do what was right for our country.”
He praised the three justices who dissented in the opinion: Brett Kavanaugh, who wrote the main dissent, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. His remarks were harsh on others, including two of his appointees, Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch.
“They’re just being Rino’s idiots and lapdogs [“Republicans in name only”] Trump said radical left Democrats should have nothing to do with this issue and continued: “They are very unpatriotic and disloyal to our constitution.”
He called Barrett and Gorsuch “an embarrassment to their families” and said they were “barely” invited to next week’s State of the Union address.
