Trump Raises Temporary Global Tariffs To 15%

US President Donald Trump raised the temporary global import surcharge to 15%, the maximum permitted under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, intensifying his confrontation with the judiciary after the Supreme Court struck down his earlier tariff regime.

This follows a sharp rebuke from the Supreme Court of the United States, which ruled that President Trump exceeded his authority by imposing sweeping tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a 1977 statute reserved for genuine national emergencies. The judgment invalidated the so-called reciprocal tariffs introduced under that law, though it left other trade measures untouched.

In response, Trump initially announced a 10% global levy under Section 122, a rarely used provision that allows temporary import restrictions to address serious balance-of-payments concerns. That rate was scheduled to take effect on February 24 for up to 150 days.

Yet in a subsequent post on Truth Social on Saturday, he said the surcharge would instead be raised to 15%, the statutory ceiling, citing what he described as a “ridiculous, poorly written, and extraordinarily anti-American decision on Tariffs”.

Section 122 permits temporary tariffs or quotas for roughly five months before congressional approval is required for any extension. The administration has framed the move as necessary to counter persistent trade imbalances and protect domestic production.