TRUMP DEFIES SUPREME COURT, SLAMS 15% TARIFFS ON THE WORLD

By Micah Jonah
February 22, 2026


In a stunning move that has rattled businesses, governments worldwide, United States President, Donald Trump has doubled down on his global tariff strategy, raising import duties from 10 percent to 15 percent just days after the Supreme Court ruled his previous sweeping levies illegal.

The court had struck down Trump’s tariffs on nearly every country, citing unconstitutional overreach under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
By a six-to-three vote, justices ruled that only Congress has the authority to levy taxes.

Undeterred, Trump launched the 15 percent hike under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974—the maximum allowed under that law. The move comes as businesses scramble to reclaim the estimated $133 billion already collected under the now-voided emergency powers tariffs.

“During the next short number of months, the Trump Administration will determine and issue new legally permissible tariffs, which will continue our extraordinarily successful process of Making America Great Again,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

The White House confirmed exemptions for critical minerals, metals, and energy products, but the escalation has already triggered a flood of lawsuits, with over a thousand importers seeking refunds in US courts. Experts warn smaller firms could face long battles to recover payments.

Foreign governments are also grappling with the fallout. Deals with Taiwan, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and Cambodia now face sudden uncertainty, forcing urgent recalculations of trade obligations.

Democrats and business leaders have slammed Trump’s aggressive stance. “Pickpocketing the American people,” said the House Ways and Means Committee, while California Governor Gavin Newsom added: “He does not care about you.”

Trump’s tariff gambit signals a high-stakes gamble ahead of the US midterm elections, with rising costs for consumers, mounting global tension. Analysts warn that the trade friction could ripple across supply chains, destabilize international markets if left unchecked.