Trump raises global tariffs to 15%, calls Supreme Court ruling ‘ridiculous’

US President Donald Trump has announced that he plans to raise the global tariff rate to 15 percent after the Supreme Court blocked him from using emergency powers to impose sweeping import taxes on foreign trading partners.

Trump made the announcement on Saturday after the Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the president overstepped his authority by using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose his “Liberation Day” tariffs, finding that the law does not authorize such sweeping import taxes.

Posting on his social media platform Truth Social on Saturday, Trump said that after reviewing the court’s “ridiculous, poorly written, and extraordinarily anti-American decision,” he would immediately increase the 10 percent worldwide tariff to the maximum legally allowed 15 percent.

The new 15 percent tariffs are set to take effect on February 24 and will exclude certain goods, including agricultural products, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and essential minerals.

Imports from Canada and Mexico are also exempt under the 2020 trade agreement negotiated during Trump’s first administration.

Trump sharply criticized members of the court who backed the ruling as “fools,” claiming that his administration has “powerful alternatives.” He also said the court’s ruling ultimately made a president’s ability to impose tariffs “even more powerful.”

No previous president has used this authority.

By raising the tariff rate to 15 percent, Trump has fully exercised the power granted under Section 122. Any further increases would require congressional approval or a separate legal mechanism.

US Supreme Court strikes down swath of Trump global tariffs

The United States Supreme Court has struck down the global tariffs imposed by the administration of President Donald Trump.

The president signaled that his administration will continue evaluating additional legally permissible tariffs in the coming months, though he did not outline how these would be implemented.

Representative Don Bacon told CNN that Congress could block the tariff increase.

“It may not have a veto-proof majority, but there will be a majority opposing the 10 percent global tariff,” he said, calling the decision a mistake.

The House Ways and Means Committee Democrats, which is the chief tax-writing committee, wrote on X, “Trump’s commitment to pickpocketing the American people is relentless.”

“A little over 24 hours after his tariffs were ruled illegal, he’s doing anything he can to make sure he can still jack up your costs,” it added.

Trump imposed his so-called “reciprocal tariffs” in April 2025 using IEEPA, a law that allows the president to regulate commerce during a national emergency but does not explicitly mention tariffs.

In the court’s ruling Friday, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the language of IEEPA “cannot bear the weight” of Trump’s tariffs.

At a news conference on Friday, Trump said he was “ashamed of certain members of the court” and accused the justices of being “unpatriotic and disloyal to our Constitution.”

He also accused the court of being “swayed by foreign interests and a political movement that is far smaller than people would ever think.”

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