President Trump responded to a historic Supreme Court rebuke by raising tariffs even higher and unleashing a torrent of personal attacks on the justices who ruled against him. The new 15% global tariff, announced Saturday via Truth Social, invokes a different law than the one the court struck down, in what the president described as a legal and necessary act of economic defense.
The court’s 6-3 ruling Friday found that Trump’s use of the IEEPA to impose sweeping tariffs was unlawful without congressional authorization. Rather than accept the setback, Trump pivoted to Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which grants presidents the power to impose up to 15% tariffs for 150 days without legislative approval.
In the wake of the ruling, Trump’s rhetoric reached new heights of personal attack. He called the majority justices “fools and lapdogs” and accused them of being “unpatriotic and disloyal to our constitution.” He described his own nominees — Barrett and Gorsuch — as “an embarrassment to their families,” while praising the dissenters as courageous defenders of the country.
European leaders did not stay silent. Germany’s Chancellor Merz warned that the constant shifting of tariff policy was acting as economic poison, announcing plans to visit Washington with a joint European proposal. France’s Macron celebrated the Supreme Court’s original ruling as proof that democratic systems of checks and balances still work.
US business leaders continued to call for refunds on the $130 billion in tariffs already collected, a sum paid overwhelmingly by American companies and consumers. Trump indicated that any reimbursements would require lengthy legal action. The 15% rate exempts critical sectors including metals, pharmaceuticals, and USMCA-compliant imports from Canada and Mexico.