WASHINGTON, United States — President Donald Trump said Saturday he is raising the worldwide tariffs on goods entering the United States from 10 percent to 15 percent "effective immediately," a day after the Supreme Court largely struck down his sweeping duties. 

 

Trump said on his Truth Social platform that after a thorough review of Friday's "extraordinarily anti-American decision" by the court to rein in his tariff program, the administration was hiking the import levies "to the fully allowed, and legally tested, 15% level."

 

The conservative-majority top court ruled six-three that a 1977 law known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) Trump has relied on "does not authorise the president to impose tariffs."

 

Trump, who had nominated two of the justices who repudiated him, responded furiously, alleging without any evidence that the court was influenced by foreign interests.

 

"I'm ashamed of certain members of the court, absolutely ashamed, for not having the courage to do what's right for our country," Trump told reporters.

 

Trump said he would use a separate authority to impose a uniform tariff of 10 per cent — after he spent the past year imposing various rates spontaneously to cajole and punish other countries.

 

"In order to protect our country, a president can actually charge more tariffs than I was charging in the past," Trump said, insisting that the ruling left him "more powerful."

 

Major setback

 

The ruling did not impact sector-specific duties Trump separately imposed on imports of steel, aluminium and various other goods. Several government probes which could lead to more sectorial tariffs remain in the works.

 

Still, it marked Trump's biggest defeat at the Supreme Court since returning to the White House last year.

 

While Trump has long relied on tariffs as a lever for diplomatic pressure and negotiations, he made unprecedented use of emergency economic powers in his second term to slap new duties on virtually all US trading partners.

 

These included "reciprocal" tariffs over trade practices that Washington deemed unfair, alongside separate sets of duties targeting major partners Mexico, Canada and China over illicit drug flows and immigration.

 

The court noted Friday that "had Congress intended to convey the distinct and extraordinary power to impose tariffs" with IEEPA, "it would have done so expressly, as it consistently has in other tariff statutes."

 

The Supreme Court's three liberal justices joined three conservatives in Friday's ruling, which upheld lower court decisions that tariffs Trump imposed under IEEPA were illegal.

 

Trump heaped praise on Brett Kavanaugh, the only justice he nominated who voted with him. Kavanaugh was joined in his dissent by fellow conservatives Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.

 

Chief Justice John Roberts, in delivering his opinion, said "IEEPA contains no reference to tariffs or duties."