Trump Announces New Global Tariff After Supreme Court Ruling

President Donald J. Trump on Friday sharply criticized the Supreme Court’s decision striking down a key portion of his tariff agenda, warning that the ruling risks weakening America’s leverage as he works to rebalance global trade and defend domestic industry.

In a 6-3 decision, the Court held that the president exceeded his authority by invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose sweeping tariffs on individual nations. The ruling marks a significant legal hurdle for one of the central pillars of Trump’s second-term economic strategy.

Despite the setback, the president made clear he is pressing ahead.

According to The Washington Times, Trump announced he will invoke Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to implement a 10 percent global baseline tariff.

“We’re going forward. We’ll be able to take in more money,” Trump said.

Section 122 authorizes the president to impose temporary tariffs of up to 150 days to address trade deficits, unless Congress votes to extend the action. The administration also confirmed it is pursuing additional investigations under separate statutory authorities to justify tariffs on national security grounds or to correct trade imbalances.

At a White House press briefing, Trump did not hide his disappointment.

“I’m ashamed of certain members of the court, absolutely ashamed for not having the courage to do what’s right for our country,” he said.

The president praised Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and Brett Kavanaugh for dissenting in his favor, while sharply criticizing the liberal justices as automatic “no” votes. He added that he at least respected what he described as their consistency — an apparent jab at conservative justices who joined the majority.

Last year, Trump imposed tariffs ranging from 10 percent to 50 percent on goods from various countries as part of a broader effort to curb trade deficits and bolster domestic production. Small businesses and several states challenged those tariffs, arguing the administration unlawfully relied on IEEPA. They ultimately prevailed before the Supreme Court.

The president suggested foreign competitors are celebrating the ruling.

“They’re dancing in the streets,” Trump said. “But they won’t be dancing for long.”

Trump also criticized what he described as the internal logic of the decision, arguing that under the Court’s framework a president could theoretically cut off trade entirely but could not impose even a modest tariff under IEEPA.

At the same time, he acknowledged that a different legal pathway might have been simpler from the outset.

“Now, I’ll go the way I could have gone originally,” Trump said. “It’s a little bit longer process. I thought I’d make things simple, but they didn’t let us do that.”

Trump went further, suggesting the ruling may have been influenced by forces beyond the courtroom.

“It’s my opinion that the court has been swayed by foreign interests and a political movement that is far smaller than people would ever think,” Trump said, according to The Guardian.

When reporters pressed him for details, he replied, “You’re going to find out,” according to Politico.

“I think that foreign interests are represented by people that I believe have undue influence,” he added, according to NBC News. “They have a lot of influence over the Supreme Court, whether it’s through fear or respect or friendships, I don’t know.”

Trump also criticized what he described as “the other side.”

“But I know some of the people who were involved on the other side, and I don’t like them,” he said. “I think they’re real slimeballs.”

In dissent, Justice Clarence Thomas argued that the majority’s reasoning was inconsistent with both statutory text and historical practice.

“Neither the statutory text nor the Constitution provides a basis for ruling against the President. Congress authorized the President to ‘regulate . . . importation.’ Throughout American history, the authority to ‘regulate importation’ has been understood to include the authority to impose duties on imports,” Thomas declared.

While the ruling represents a meaningful setback, the Trump administration has made clear it intends to continue advancing its tariff agenda through alternative legal mechanisms.

With Section 122 authority now in play and additional statutory investigations underway, the battle over executive trade power is far from settled. For President Trump, tariffs remain a central tool in defending American workers, confronting trade imbalances, and asserting national sovereignty in an increasingly competitive global economy.