Former President Donald Trump has signed a decree imposing a new 10% global tariff, following criticism of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling against his previous tariff policies. The new surcharge is being implemented under a slightly different legal basis than prior tariffs, but for a limited duration.
The decree will take effect at 12:01 p.m. Washington time (6:01 p.m. In Switzerland) on Tuesday, February 24, and will remain in place for 150 days. Certain sectors, including the pharmaceutical industry, will be exempt, as will goods entering the United States from Canada and Mexico under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, according to a White House statement.
The 10% tariff applies to countries or blocs that have signed trade agreements with Washington, such as the European Union, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, which had previously agreed to a maximum surcharge rate of 15%. “This proves a great honor for me to have signed, from the Oval Office, a 10% global tariff on all countries, which will take effect almost immediately,” the former president commented on his Truth Social network.
The 10% tariff does not apply to products subject to sector-specific tariffs, nor to Canadian and Mexican products imported into the United States under the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Further avenues explored by the Trump administration
Calling the Supreme Court’s decision “terrible” and expressing his “absolute shame,” Trump previously attacked the justices who ruled against his tariffs, accusing the Court of yielding to “foreign influences” during an impromptu press conference at the White House.
The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, determined that Trump could not justify the tariffs based on a claim of economic emergency. This ruling is particularly notable given the Court’s conservative majority and its previous alignment with Trump’s policies.
Trump had imposed the tariffs relying on a 1977 law theoretically allowing the executive branch to act in the economic sphere without prior congressional approval in the event of an “economic emergency.” However, Chief Justice John Roberts stated that the president must “demonstrate clear authorization from Congress” to implement tariffs.
For the new 10% global rate announced Friday, Trump indicated he is now basing his authority on Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which grants the president unilateral power to impose tariffs. “But this legal provision, which has never been tested, limits the duration during which these tariffs can remain in effect to 150 days,” Bloomberg reports. Any extension would require congressional approval, which is not fully assured from the Republican majority.
The White House as well announced its intention to maintain existing tariffs by invoking other legal avenues, particularly by launching specific investigations into each country to demonstrate that it “has violated a trade agreement or engaged in practices that harm American trade,” according to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in a statement. This process will involve public hearings and allow affected businesses to defend themselves. “We anticipate these investigations will cover most major trading partners and focus on areas of concern such as industrial overcapacity, forced labor, pharmaceutical pricing practices, discrimination against U.S. Tech companies and digital goods and services, taxes on digital services, ocean pollution, and practices related to trade in seafood, rice, and other products.”
The question of reimbursement
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, assured that “Congress and the government will determine in the coming weeks the best course of action.” The decision opens the possibility of refunds for tariffs already paid by businesses.
When asked about this, Trump stated that the issue “had not been addressed” by the Court and believed it would occupy the courts for years. Tariffs collected by U.S. Authorities and affected by the Supreme Court’s decision exceeded $130 billion in 2025, according to analysts.
Dissenting Justice Brett Kavanaugh justified his position by stating that the decision “says nothing about how the government should proceed to reimburse the billions collected.” He warned that it would be “chaos.”
“This is a victory for American consumers,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. His counterpart in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, called on Trump to “refrain from any new unilateral action on tariffs.”
Announced in April, the tariffs targeted countries with which the United States had a trade deficit, with the former president viewing them as a tool to rebalance them. Trump’s goal was also to provide additional resources to the federal government to offset tax cuts.
He partially reversed course by adding exceptions for a number of products, particularly those that cannot be manufactured or grown in the United States. These tariffs also served as a basis for negotiations to sign trade agreements with the United States’ main partners.
