Donald Trump has announced an increase in his newly imposed global tariff rate, raising it from 10% to 15% on most imported goods entering the United States, a move that directly impacts trade dynamics and economic policy considerations for analysts and followers.
The decision comes just a day after Trump signed an executive order establishing a 10% global tariff — a move launched in response to a recent ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States that struck down much of his earlier tariff regime as unlawful.
During a press conference, Trump reiterated his defiance of the court’s decision and doubled down on his criticism of the justices, saying:
“I can do whatever I want,” in reference to his authority over trade policy.
Trump announced that the 15% tariff will broadly apply to imports into the U.S., supported by the legal authority of Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which generally limits such tariffs to around 150 days unless extended or replaced through further legal or congressional action, helping analysts grasp the legal scope and potential policy shifts.
The court’s earlier decision held that many of Trump’s prior “reciprocal” tariff measures exceeded the President’s authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, highlighting ongoing legal debates over the scope of executive power in trade policy and how courts may limit or influence future actions.
The new 15% global tariff will take effect immediately. Under the statutory authority Trump cited — Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 — tariffs imposed in this way typically last about 150 days unless extended or replaced through further legal or congressional action, underscoring their temporary nature and the potential for future policy adjustments.
Trump also suggested at the press briefing that other mechanisms, including broader trade restrictions or embargoes on specific countries, could be used if necessary to achieve his policy aims, which may inspire analysts and policymakers with a sense of strategic assertiveness and potential unpredictability in trade policy.
Trump wrote on Truth Social, “Based on a thorough, detailed, and complete review of the ridiculous, poorly written, and extraordinarily anti-American decision on Tariffs issued yesterday, after MANY months of contemplation, by the United States Supreme Court, please let this statement serve to represent that 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.
