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President Donald Trump on Friday imposed a new 10 percent tariff on imports into the United States, hours after the Supreme Court struck down many of the sweeping duties that have defined his economic policy.
Trump signed the order in the Oval Office and said on social media it would be “effective almost immediately.”
According to a White House factsheet, the additional tariff will take effect Feb. 24 and remain in place for 150 days.
The move follows a 6-3 ruling by the Supreme Court that rejected Trump’s use of a 1977 law to impose tariffs on individual countries. The court said the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorise the president to levy tariffs.
“IEEPA contains no reference to tariffs or duties,” Chief Justice John Roberts said in his opinion.
The ruling was Trump’s biggest legal setback since taking office again 13 months ago. In previous cases, the conservative-majority court has typically supported the president.
Trump responded to the ruling, criticising the court’s members and alleging, without evidence, that it had been 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.
He insisted the ruling left him “more powerful” and said, “In order to protect our country, a president can actually charge more tariffs than I was charging in the past.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking at the Economic Club of Dallas, said the administration’s alternative approach “will result in virtually unchanged tariff revenue in 2026.”
The new 10 percent duty will apply broadly, including to countries that had already negotiated tariff agreements with the Trump administration. Those partners will now face the flat rate, despite higher levels they may have previously agreed to, the White House said.
Exemptions will remain for goods covered under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement and for sectors subject to separate investigations, including pharmaceuticals. The Supreme Court ruling does not affect existing sector-specific tariffs on steel, aluminium and other products, and ongoing government probes could lead to additional duties.
Business groups largely welcomed the court’s decision. The National Retail Federation said it provides “much-needed certainty” for companies. Wall Street shares rose modestly following the widely expected ruling.
The court did not address whether companies would receive refunds for tariffs collected under the invalidated authority. During oral arguments, administration lawyers had said refunds would be issued if the tariffs were deemed unlawful.
Trump said he anticipated years of litigation over the issue. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the only Trump nominee to side with the administration, warned in his dissent that the refund process could become a “mess.”
The University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Wharton Budget Model estimated the decision could generate up to $175 billion in refunds. But Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, said there is “no legal mechanism for consumers and many small businesses to recoup the money they have already paid.”
The Budget Lab at Yale University estimates that consumers now face an average effective tariff rate of 9.1 percent following the ruling, down from 16.9 percent. The rate remains the highest since 1946, excluding 2025, the group said.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the tariffs an “illegal cash grab” and demanded refunds “with interest.” Newsom is expected to seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.
U.S. trading partners said they were reviewing the court’s decision. The European Union and Britain indicated they were assessing the impact. Canada, which has repeatedly faced tariff threats as Trump questioned its sovereignty, said the ruling showed the levies were “unjustified” but warned further trade turbulence may lie ahead.
“Canada should prepare for new, blunter mechanisms to be used to reassert trade pressure, potentially with broader and more disruptive effects,” said Candace Laing, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
