Donald Trump hikes global tariffs to 15% after SC blow

President Donald Trump said he will raise his planned global tariff rate to 15% from 10%, escalating his tariff gambit less than 24 hours after the US Supreme Court undercut the legal bedrock of his broader economic strategy.

The move underscores both the White House’s determination to sustain a hard line on trade and the legal constraints now shaping Trump’s policy toolkit.

Trump hits back fast

On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump had exceeded his authority by using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to levy sweeping tariffs on dozens of countries, dealing a sharp blow to a core plank of his economic agenda.

In response, Trump quickly pivoted to a narrower statute, signing a proclamation that imposed a temporary 10% duty on imports under section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows a president to restrict imports for up to 150 days.

By Saturday, Trump signalled he was prepared to go further.

In a social media post, he said that “based on a review of the court’s decision” he was “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.”

He added that “during the next short number of months, the Trump Administration will determine and issue the new and legally permissible Tariffs.”

The statement leaves significant uncertainty over the precise structure, scope and duration of the higher duties, given the 150‑day limit embedded in the 1974 law and the Supreme Court’s clear warning on executive overreach.

Trade lawyers say the administration will now need to carefully calibrate any broader tariff architecture to avoid a fresh legal clash, even as Trump pushes to maintain maximum leverage over trading partners.

For global markets, the rapid sequence of a court defeat, an emergency 10% levy and a threat to move to 15% deepens the risk of renewed trade frictions, potentially unsettling supply chains and business investment plans.

Foreign governments are likely to study both the ruling and the new proclamation closely as they weigh possible responses, from targeted retaliation to challenges in US and international forums.