Trump raises the global tariff rate under emergency powers

# Trump raises the global tariff rate under emergency powers

Event date: February 21, 2026 - President Donald Trump raised the global tariff rate from 10% to 15% under emergency powers after the Supreme Court ruled against parts of his earlier tariff regime.

Trade policy shifts after Supreme Court defeat

Donald Trump has raised the global tariff rate on imports from 10% to 15% using emergency powers that allow the move for up to 150 days after the Supreme Court ruling. The decision marks another escalation in his trade policy and follows a week in which the court handed his administration a major legal setback.

The supplied AFP report via France 24 says the White House announced the new rate after the court decision, and that the tariffs are being imposed under emergency authority. The practical effect is to keep pressure on imports even as the legal fight over the president's broader tariff strategy continues.

The court ruling itself matters because it did not eliminate all of Trump's trade powers. According to the report, the justices struck down part of the earlier tariff structure but left intact other sector-specific duties, including levies on steel, aluminum and some additional goods. That means the administration still has tools to target particular industries even after losing on the broader global measure.

The ruling is described in the report as Trump's biggest defeat at the Supreme Court since returning to the White House 13 months earlier. That framing suggests the issue is both legal and political. Tariffs have been one of the president's signature policy tools, and the court's intervention narrowed the scope of that approach while leaving room for continued action.

The report also notes that the administration had argued companies would receive refunds if the tariffs were found unlawful, though the Supreme Court did not address the issue. Trump said he expected years of litigation over whether refunds should be paid. That uncertainty could matter as much as the tariff rate itself because it affects importers, customs planning and market expectations.

Markets reacted with only modest movement after the decision, which suggests investors had already anticipated at least part of the outcome. Business groups were quicker to welcome the ruling, calling it a source of certainty for companies. Even so, the policy picture remains unsettled because the administration appears willing to keep testing the boundaries of emergency trade powers.

The 15% global rate also matters internationally. The report says trading partners that had struck separate tariff deals with the Trump administration would also face the new levy. That broadens the impact beyond countries without agreements and raises the stakes for ongoing negotiations.

For now, the immediate story is that the White House has responded to a judicial setback by reaching for another tariff tool. The legal challenge may continue, but the administration's position is clear: trade pressure remains central to its economic strategy.

The move also keeps the tariff debate at the center of Trump’s economic agenda. By leaning on emergency powers, the administration is signaling that it intends to preserve leverage even as courts test the legal basis of that leverage.

That makes the new 15% rate more than a technical adjustment. It is a public demonstration that the White House is willing to keep using tariffs as a policy instrument while the underlying legal fight continues.