President Donald Trump has announced he will impose a new 10% global tariff under Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act, hours after the Supreme Court struck down his sweeping tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) in a 6-3 ruling.
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Addressing reporters in the White House briefing room on Friday, Trump called the decision “deeply disappointing” and said he is “ashamed of certain members of the court, absolutely ashamed for not having the courage to do what’s right for our country.”
Trump launched an extraordinary attack on the six justices who ruled against him.
“They’re against anything that makes America strong, healthy and great again. They also are frankly a disgrace to our nation, those justices, they’re an automatic no,” Trump said.
He called the justices “lap dogs for RHINOs and the radical left” and “very unpatriotic and disloyal to our Constitution.”
Trump, without evidence, claimed that foreign interests influenced the court’s decision.
“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. It’s a small movement,” Trump said.
“I think that foreign interests are represented by people that I believe have undue influence. They have a lot of influence over the Supreme Court, whether it’s through fear or respect or friendships, I don’t know.
“But I know some of the people that were involved on the other side, and I don’t like them. I think they’re real slimeballs.”
In an unusual fashion that defies presidential norms, Trump praised and thanked the three justices who dissented — Justices Kavanaugh, Thomas and Alito.
“I’d like to thank and congratulate Justices Thomas, Alito and Kavanaugh for their strength and wisdom and love of our country, which is, right now, very proud of those justices,” he said.
Trump particularly had strong words for Kavanaugh, suggesting the justice lost money in the stock market.
“I would like to thank Justice Kavanaugh for his, frankly, his genius and his great ability. Very proud of that appointment in actuality,” he said.
Trump announced he will sign an order to “impose a 10% global tariff under Section 122.”
“This would be over and above our normal tariffs already being charged,” he said.
Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act allows the president to impose levies up to 15% for up to 150 days on imports from all countries before needing approval from Congress.
According to Erica York of the Tax Foundation, the 10% tariffs announced would replace around 56% of the revenue generated by tariffs under IEEPA.
Trump also announced: “We’re also initiating several sections, 301 and other investigations to protect our country from unfair trading practices of other countries and companies.”
Trump suggested the administration doesn’t plan to refund companies that paid for his tariffs over the last year because the Supreme Court didn’t address that in the ruling.
“I guess it has to get litigated for the next two years. So they write this terrible, defective decision, totally defective. It’s almost like not written by smart people,” he said.
Asked if he doesn’t plan to honor refunds, Trump said: “I just told you the answer. It’s not discussed. We’ll end up being in court for the next five years.”
More than $130 billion in tariffs have been collected under the IEEPA law, which the Supreme Court struck down.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, in his dissent, warned about the “mess” refunds would create.
“Refunds of billions of dollars would have significant consequences for the U.S. Treasury. The Court says nothing today about whether, and if so how, the Government should go about returning the billions of dollars that it has collected from importers.”
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion with Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh dissenting.
“The Government reads IEEPA to give the President power to unilaterally impose unbounded tariffs and change them at will,” Roberts wrote. “That view would represent a transformative expansion of the President’s authority over tariff policy.”
Roberts said it was “telling that in IEEPA’s half century of existence, no President has invoked the statute to impose any tariffs, let alone tariffs of this magnitude and scope.”
Justice Neil Gorsuch, one of three justices appointed by Trump, warned about the separation of powers in his concurrence.
“And without doctrines like major questions, our system of separated powers and checks-and-balances threatens to give way to the continual and permanent accretion of power in the hands of one man. That is no recipe for a republic.”
Thomas, in his dissent, wrote that “neither statutory text nor the Constitution provide a basis for ruling against the President.”
Congressional Reactions
Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.): “The decision reaffirmed authority that has rested with Congress for centuries. The American people already know that when Washington throws up artificial barriers, building and buying here at home become more expensive. The Constitution — and the court’s decision — had now left no room for doubt: the use of IEEPA to circumvent Congress in the imposition of tariffs — already without precedent — is also illegal.”
Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.): “The Supreme Court struck down using emergency powers to enact taxes. This ruling will also prevent a future President such as AOC from using emergency powers to enact socialism.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.): “Trump’s illegal tariff tax just collapsed — He tried to govern by decree and stuck families with the bill. Enough chaos. End the trade war.”
Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio): Called the decision a “betrayal” and “outrageous,” urging Republicans to use reconciliation to codify the tariffs.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.): “No Supreme Court decision can undo the massive damage that Trump’s chaotic tariffs have caused. The American people paid for these tariffs and the American people should get their money back.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.): Praised Trump’s tariffs and said Congress and the administration would “determine the best path forward in the coming weeks.”
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.): “The Constitution’s checks and balances still works. Article One gives tariff authority to Congress. Besides the Constitutional concerns I had on the Administration’s broad-based tariffs, I also do not think tariffs are smart economic policy. Broad-based tariffs are bad economics.”
Business Reactions
U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Applauded the ruling as “welcome news for businesses and consumers” and encouraged the administration to “reset overall tariff policy.”
Business Roundtable: Said the Trump administration should “recalibrate its approach to tariffs, focusing on targeted actions to address specific unfair trade practices and national security concerns.”
National Retail Federation: Said the ruling “provides much-needed certainty for U.S. businesses” and urged the lower court to “ensure a seamless process to refund the tariffs to U.S. importers.”
We Pay the Tariffs Coalition (800+ small businesses): Demanded immediate refunds. “A legal victory is meaningless without actual relief for the businesses that paid these tariffs. Small businesses cannot afford to wait months or years while bureaucratic delays play out.”
Main Street Alliance (30,000 small-business owners): “The administration framed these tariffs as strength. What our members experienced was chaos. Rates jumping overnight. No phase in. No planning horizon.”
DHL: Said it would help ensure customers receive refunds, “leveraging our customs brokerage technology to track filings.”
Small Business Owner Reactions
Chaya Cohen Tamir, owner of The Analog Stationer (Brooklyn, NY): “This is an incredible win for the American people. Small businesses like ours have either eaten the cost or have passed the cost on to consumers by raising the prices. I hope this takes effect very, very quickly.”
John Boyd, President of National Black Farmers Association: “I got a big win. The Supreme Court is still the law of the land. And I think they got this one right. This is a relief from a man-made crisis. The president made the crisis.”
David Levi, MicroKits LLC founder: “I’ve been in a constant state of worry since the president imposed his tariffs in 2025. I had to cut production just to survive, and that meant thousands of kids across the country missed out on a new educational musical toy under their Christmas tree.”
Foreign Government Reactions
Canada (Dominic LeBlanc): “Today’s ruling reinforces Canada’s position that the IEEPA tariffs imposed by the United States are unjustified. Canada is working to create growth and opportunities on both sides of the border.”
European Union: Said it is “carefully” analyzing the ruling. “Businesses on both sides of the Atlantic depend on stability and predictability in the trading relationship. We therefore continue to advocate for low tariffs.”
United Kingdom: Said it will contact the Trump administration to figure out how the ruling will impact trade. “The U.K. enjoys the lowest reciprocal tariffs globally, and under any scenario we expect our privileged trading position with the U.S. to continue.”
Bernd Lange (E.U. Parliament Trade Committee Chair): Called the ruling a “positive signal for the rule of law. Judges have shown that even a U.S. president does not operate in a legal vacuum. The era of unlimited, arbitrary tariffs may soon be coming to an end.”
State Reactions
New York Governor Kathy Hochul: “My rural communities have been hit hard by this. The farmers with additional costs for everything from their feed and their fertilizer that only comes from places like Canada and Ukraine, they have been struggling enormously for the last year. I think the Supreme Court, many of whom are appointees by the president, sided with supporting the Constitution and doing what’s right.”
U.S. stocks rose in the minutes after the Supreme Court decision:
- S&P 500 jumped from trading in the red to rising 0.5%
- Nasdaq soared 0.6%
- The U.S. dollar jumped against other currencies including the British pound, Euro and Japan’s yen
Treasury yields jumped across maturities:
- 10-year bond yield rose to 4.09%
- 30-year Treasury yield rose to 4.74%
The decision does not affect all of Trump’s tariffs. Tariffs on steel and aluminum using different laws remain in place.
The ruling invalidates:
- Country-by-country “reciprocal” tariffs (ranging from 34% for China to 10% baseline for rest of world)
- 25% tariff on some goods from Canada, China and Mexico related to fentanyl
The new 10% tariff would not cut duties on semiconductors, autos, car parts or pharmaceuticals, which have been imposed under other legal authorities.
Trump’s trip to China will take place between March 31 and April 2, a White House official confirmed. Trump’s tariffs on China are among the largest he imposed using IEEPA.
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