Fresh tariffs ordered by Donald Trump, United States president, have come into force at a lower rate than he publicly promised, adding to growing uncertainty over American trade policy just days after the Supreme Court rebuked his earlier measures.
From Tuesday, a 10 percent tariff is being applied to most imported goods not covered by exemptions, according to a notice issued by US Customs and Border Protection. The rate stands in contrast to the president’s weekend pledge to raise the levy to 15 percent. No directive to increase the rate has been issued.
The development follows a ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States on Friday striking down many of the sweeping tariffs Trump imposed last year under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The court found that the law did not authorise the president to introduce such broad duties.
In response, Trump signed an executive order invoking Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act, which allows a president to impose tariffs of up to 15 percent for 150 days without congressional approval. The order described the temporary 10 percent duty as necessary to address “fundamental international payments problems” and to rebalance trade in favour of American workers, farmers and manufacturers.
The rapid shifts have unsettled businesses and trading partners alike.
“I think it simply adds to the chaos and mess,” said Carsten Brzeski, global head of macro at ING. Speaking to the BBC Today programme, he warned that “in terms of uncertainty we’re back to where we were last year” and that the risk of escalation was rising. “The risk of a real fully fledged tariff war is clearly higher than last year,” he said.
Read also:Trump’s fresh 15% global tariff adds to trade uncertainty
Trump has long argued that tariffs are needed to shrink the United States trade deficit, which reached roughly 1.2 trillion dollars last week, widening by 2.1 percent compared with 2024.
The ruling has also opened the door to potential refund claims. Companies including FedEx have filed legal action seeking reimbursement for duties paid under the emergency powers law. Campaign group We Pay The Tariffs says it represents more than 900 businesses demanding automatic refunds.
Read also: Trump raises tariffs on US imports to 15% hours after 10% levy announcement
Trump has criticised the court’s decision as “ridiculous” and signalled that any refund battle could drag through the courts for years.
Abroad, governments are weighing their response. The United Kingdom has said no reciprocal action is off the table if existing trade understandings are not honoured. The European Union has paused ratification of a summer agreement, while India has deferred talks to finalise a recent deal.
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