President Trump used Saturday’s tariff announcement to reiterate one of the defining arguments of his presidency: that other nations have exploited the United States in trade for decades, and that his administration is the first to truly hold them accountable. The new 15% global tariff, he said, was not overreach but overdue justice.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump declared that countries had been “ripping” the US off for years “without retribution” and framed the new 15% levy as the natural and necessary conclusion of his America-first trade doctrine. The announcement came just hours after the Supreme Court struck down his previous tariff authority under the IEEPA as unconstitutional without congressional backing.
Trump’s new legal foundation is Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows tariffs of up to 15% for 150 days before Congress must authorize continuation. His administration plans to use that window to develop lasting, legally defensible tariff policy. The president called the provision “fully allowed and legally tested,” though it has never previously been invoked.
Trading partners rejected Trump’s framing of mutual exploitation. Germany’s Chancellor Merz warned that tariff instability was economic poison for both Europe and the United States, and said he would travel to Washington with a coordinated European response. France’s Macron defended the Supreme Court’s ruling and called for trade built on reciprocal fairness, not presidential decree.
About $130 billion in tariffs has been collected under the now-invalidated IEEPA framework, with about 90% paid by American businesses and consumers. The new rate exempts critical minerals, metals, pharmaceuticals, and USMCA-compliant goods. UK trade officials expressed alarm at the new 15% baseline replacing their previously negotiated 10% arrangement.