After the Supreme Court's ruling on tariffs, the US President reacted with verbal attacks on the judges and the imposition of new tariffs on imports. The tariff will increase from 10% to 15%.
The highest US judges have ruled: most of the tariffs imposed unilaterally by President Donald Trump are invalid and unconstitutional, the Supreme Court in Washington ruled on Friday (20.02). A historic decision and a heavy defeat for Trump, whose reaction was swift.
After the Supreme Court ruling, Trump immediately announced a new global tariff on almost all imports, relying on a different legal basis. He also verbally attacked the judges: "I'm ashamed of some of the members of the court, I really am, because they don't have the courage to do what is right for our country," Trump said at a press conference at the White House.
"They are very unpatriotic and disloyal to our Constitution," Trump continued. He also mocked the defenders of the Constitution, calling them "fools and house dogs."
Even conservative judges oppose tariffs
Ironically, even conservative judges personally appointed by Republican Trump voted to block the tariffs. The reason is that since the beginning of his second term, Trump has imposed tariffs on dozens of trading partners, always bypassing Congress, that is, without giving representatives and senators the opportunity to participate in the decision-making process. To issue the tariff decrees, he relied on a 1977 emergency law.
It is now clear: Trump has exceeded his powers. According to the Supreme Court, the emergency law does not give him the authority to impose tariffs unilaterally. With this decision, Trump loses a legal basis that he had used not only in economic policy, but also to impose foreign policy interests.
New decree
Following the court's decision, the White House officially announced that the tariffs based on the "International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)" would no longer be applied. But Trump announced that a new global tariff of 15 percent would be imposed in their place, again without the approval of both houses of Congress. He had initially announced a tariff of ten percent.
The tariff "on all countries" will take effect "almost immediately," Trump wrote on his online platform Truth Social. According to the White House, the measure is expected to be implemented starting Tuesday for a 150-day period. There will be exceptions for some sectors.
This time, Trump is relying on a 1974 US trade law that allows tariffs on imports for up to 150 days under certain conditions. However, experts have already questioned whether the legal requirements for such an action are met. To impose tariffs for a longer period, Trump would need the approval of the US Congress in any case./DW
