President announced increase from 10% using different authority from mechanism that supreme court struck down on Friday
Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he would raise a temporary tariff rate on US imports from all countries from 10% to 15%, less than 24 hours after the US supreme court ruled against the legality of his flagship trade policy.
Infuriated by the high court’s ruling on Friday that he had exceeded his authority and should have gotten congressional approval for the tariffs, the US president railed against the justices who blocked his use of tariffs, calling them a “disgrace to the nation”, and ordered an immediate 10% tariff on all imports, in addition to any existing levies.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday announcing the further increase, Trump wrote: “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 U.S. off for decades, without retribution (until I came along!), to the fully allowed, and legally tested, 15% level.”
The law according to section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 allows the president to impose a levy of up to 15% for 150 days, although it could face legal challenges. During that period, his administration will work on issuing new and “legally permissible” tariffs, Trump said.
