Trump slaps new tariffs on all countries despite court decision
US President Donald Trump (photo: Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump announced that he is raising all current tariffs to 15%, following a Supreme Court decision that struck down many of the levies he had imposed, stating that the court's ruling allows him to take this step.
Read also: Trump vs. Supreme Court: President finds loophole for global tariffs
The US president said his decision is "based on a thorough, detailed, and complete review of the ridiculous, poorly written, and extraordinarily anti-American decision" issued by the Supreme Court against his tariffs.
"Please let this statement serve to represent that I, as President of the United States of America, will be, effective immediately, raising the 10% worldwide tariff on countries, many of which have been 'ripping' the US off for decades, without retribution (until I came along!), to the fully allowed, and legally tested, 15% level," Trump wrote in Truth Social.
He also praised three of the nine judges—Brett Cavanaugh, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito—who voted against the decision to block the tariffs, calling them "heroes."
Earlier, the US Supreme Court ruled that Trump's large-scale tariffs against most countries were unlawful. By a 6–3 majority, the justices found that unilaterally imposing tariffs exceeded the president's authority, effectively invalidating the measures.
However, Trump quickly found a legal loophole under Section 122 of the US Trade Act, which allows the president to impose temporary tariffs of up to 15% or import quotas if a country faces serious balance-of-payments issues.
On February 20, the US president announced new 10% tariffs on all countries, emphasizing that they are fully compliant with the law.
