After Being Dismissed by the Court, Trump Prepares a Global Import Tariff of 15 Percent

JAKARTA - US President Donald Trump on Saturday said he would raise global import tariffs from all countries to 15 percent, up from the previous plan of 10 percent announced a day earlier. The policy was taken following a US Supreme Court ruling that overturned the previous tariff policy.

Trump announced the sudden change via social media. He also added that in the "next few months" his administration would consider imposing other additional tariffs that are "legally permissible".

A day earlier, the US Supreme Court overturned Trump's so-called reciprocal tariffs targeting almost all of the United States' trading partners, including the fentanyl-related import duties imposed on goods from China, Canada, and Mexico. The court ruled that Trump had exceeded his presidential authority by using 1970s-era emergency legislation to impose the tariffs.

"We will raise global import tariffs to 15 percent. The government will use all options that are legally permitted," Trump said in a social media post, Saturday, February 21, 2026, quoted from ANTARA.

Hours after the ruling was read, Trump responded in a harsh tone at a press conference. He then announced new tariffs that apply comprehensively using a different legal framework, which has never been used before by an American president to impose trade restrictions.

The initial tariff of 10 percent that will take effect on Tuesday is based on Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. The rule allows for import restrictions, including the imposition of a tariff of up to 15 percent, if there is a trade deficit that is considered "large and serious". However, this policy only applies for 150 days unless it receives congressional approval to be extended.

On Saturday, Trump did not specify when exactly the tariffs would be raised to the maximum limit of 15 percent as allowed by law.

Before the Supreme Court overturned Trump's massive tariff policy, imports from Japan and a number of other countries had been subject to a higher country-specific tariff than the general tariff of 10 percent. For countries such as Japan and South Korea, the 15 percent tariff will be equivalent to the level that applied before the court ruling.