Saturday marked one of the most extraordinary days in the Trump presidency’s trade saga — a day defined by a landmark court defeat, unprecedented personal attacks on sitting justices, and a defiant tariff hike that raised the stakes for the entire global economy. Within hours of the Supreme Court ruling against his IEEPA tariffs, Trump announced a new 15% levy on all imports under a separate legal authority.
The legal basis for the new tariff was Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 — a provision dormant since its enactment and never previously tested in the courts. Trump insisted it was “fully allowed and legally tested,” though the claim raised eyebrows among trade law experts who noted that its untested nature made it vulnerable to challenge. The 150-day window it provides gives the administration time to build a more permanent legal framework for its trade agenda.
International reaction was swift and largely critical. German Chancellor Merz warned that tariff volatility was poisoning the economic relationship between Europe and the United States, while announcing plans to bring a coordinated EU position to Washington. France’s Macron, in remarks that seemed calibrated to sting the US president, praised the Supreme Court’s ruling as a model of democratic governance and the proper restraint of executive power.
The British government faced uncomfortable questions about its previously negotiated 10% tariff arrangement, which the new 15% rate effectively superseded. UK business groups expressed alarm, warning that the constant escalation of US tariffs made long-term trade planning impossible and would ultimately harm consumers and workers on both sides of the Atlantic.
Trump’s verbal assault on the Supreme Court was unlike anything seen in the modern presidency. He called the majority justices “fools and lapdogs,” said he was “ashamed” of certain members of the court, and suggested that Barrett and Gorsuch were “barely” invited to his upcoming State of the Union address. The episode raised profound questions about the relationship between the executive branch and the judiciary — questions that will define the coming weeks as legal battles over the new tariffs take shape.