Trump raises Global Tariffs to 15% after Supreme Court Setback

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

US President Donald Trump has announced an immediate increase in global tariffs to 15%, just one day after the US Supreme Court struck down his sweeping import taxes, intensifying a constitutional and economic confrontation between the executive branch and the judiciary.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the new levy would replace the previously proposed 10% blanket tariff and would take effect “immediately”.

He described the court’s decision as “extraordinarily anti-American” and pledged that his administration would, in the coming months, determine and issue “new and legally permissible” tariffs.

The announcement follows a 6–3 ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States which found that Trump exceeded his authority by imposing broad tariffs under a statute reserved for national emergencies.

The justices held that such sweeping import taxes require congressional approval, curtailing the president’s ability to unilaterally reshape US trade policy.

In response to the ruling, Trump signalled he would rely on Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, a rarely used provision that permits the president to impose tariffs of up to 15% for 150 days. After that period, Congress must intervene to extend or alter the measures.

While Section 122 provides short-term authority, it is inherently temporary.

PM NEWS reports, however, that the law does not explicitly bar a president from allowing tariffs to lapse and then reimposing them under a renewed declaration, potentially creating a cycle of rolling trade measures.

Trump framed the new tariffs as part of his longstanding effort to counter what he describes as decades of unfair trade practices against the United States.

“Many countries have been ripping the US off for decades,” he wrote, arguing that the move would continue his economic agenda to strengthen domestic industry.

The Supreme Court’s ruling significantly narrows Trump’s use of tariffs as a diplomatic and economic pressure tool. For years, he has wielded the threat of import taxes in negotiations with allies and rivals alike. While the decision limits the legal basis for such measures, it does not eliminate the president’s capacity to impose targeted or time-bound tariffs under specific statutory frameworks.