Trump announces new blanket tariff after Supreme Court ruling
US President Donald Trump has announced a new global tariff after the US Supreme Court ruled that his previously imposed duties were illegal.
Trump imposed a 10 per cent global tariff shortly after the court’s ruling, a decision the president called “terrible”.
The import duty will apply to all countries and be effective “almost immediately”, according to a post by Trump on Truth Social.
Trump said on the social media platform: “It is my Great Honor to have just signed, from the Oval Office, a Global 10 per cent tariff on all Countries, which will be effective almost immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The White House said the levy would take effect on 24 February, but it could face legal challenges.
The law Trump has used to impose the tariff caps it at 150 days, but Trump brushed off questions on the limit, saying “we have a right to do pretty much what we want to do”.
The order, under Section 122 of the 1974 trade act, can remain effect for that time period to address “large and serious United States balance-of-payments deficits”.
Ashamed of the court
His comments come after six of the nine Supreme Court judges voted to overturn his policy, including three Republicans, two of which were appointed during his first term.
The president said he was “ashamed” of the six judges, calling his appointees Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, “fools” and “an embarrassment to their families” for deciding he had no authority to use the emergency law.
He went onto claim that the court had been “swayed by foreign interests” and that other countries were “dancing in the streets”, but that his administration would now work to “take in even more money than we were taking in before”.
Alongside the blanket 10 per cent tariff, Trump announced he was opening investigations “to protect our country from unfair trading practices”.
He said: “We’re going straight ahead with 10 per cent straight across the board … and then during that period of about five months, we are doing the various investigations necessary to put fair tariffs, or tariffs period, on other countries.”
The ruling also unleashed a legal rush for refunds by importers who have paid an estimated $175bn under the outlawed measures.
But when asked when the government would refund businesses forced to pay the illegal import duties, Trump said it would have to “get litigated for the next three years”.
UK response
In the UK, ministers said they expected the country’s “privileged trading position with the US” to continue after the Supreme Court’s ruling.
The UK received the lowest tariff rate of 10 per cent, and a subsequent deal struck by Keir Starmer and Trump saw further carve-outs for Britain’s steel industry and car manufacturers.
Friday’s decision raises questions on if those deals still stand, but officials are understood to believe it will not impact on most of the UK’s trade with US, including deals on steel, cars and pharmaceuticals.
A Government spokesperson said: “This is a matter for the US to determine but we will continue to support UK businesses as further details are announced.
“Under any scenario, we expect our privileged trading position with the US to continue and will work with the administration to understand how the ruling will affect tariffs for the UK and the rest of the world.”
Trump said that some trade deals negotiated after he imposed his reciprocal tariffs will no longer be valid after the US Supreme Court ruling.
“Some of them stand. Many of them stand. Some of them won’t, and they’ll be replaced with the other tariffs,” he said.