Trump Defies Supreme Court, Imposes 10% Global Tariff Anyway

The gloves are off between America's branches of government. Hours after the Supreme Court struck down his emergency tariffs as unconstitutional, President Donald Trump fired back, calling the justices a "disgrace to our nation" and announcing he'll impose a 10% global tariff anyway.

When the Executive Branch Says 'No' to the Supreme Court

"Today, I will sign an order to impose a 10 percent global tariff under Section 122 over and above our normal tariffs already being charged," Trump declared during a Friday press conference. He was referring to the 1974 Trade Act, a different legal pathway than the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) that the Supreme Court had just invalidated.

The high court's ruling wiped out Trump's IEEPA-based tariffs, including "reciprocal" tariffs on South Korea and other trading partners. But Trump wasn't backing down. "The good news is that there are methods, practices, statutes and authorities... that are even stronger than the IEEPA tariffs available to me as the president," he said.

The new 10% tariff could take effect "three days from now," according to Trump. He's also launching Section 301 investigations to "protect our country from unfair trading practices of other countries and companies."

The Global Ripple Effect

This isn't just an American constitutional crisis—it's a global economic earthquake. Every country that exports to the US now faces an additional 10% tax on their goods, stacked on top of existing tariffs.

For businesses, this creates a nightmare scenario of compounding costs. A South Korean electronics manufacturer already paying 25% tariffs would now face 35% total. European automakers, Chinese tech companies, and Canadian lumber producers are all in the same boat.

Trump seemed to relish the international dismay. "Foreign countries that have been ripping us off are ecstatic" about the court ruling, he claimed. "They are so happy, and they are dancing in the streets, but they won't be dancing for long."

Constitutional Crisis or Political Theater?

Trump's defiance raises profound questions about American democracy. Can a president simply ignore the Supreme Court by finding alternative legal authorities? Legal scholars are divided.

Some argue Trump is operating within his constitutional powers—the 1974 Trade Act does grant broad tariff authority to presidents. Others see it as a dangerous precedent that undermines judicial review.

"This is exactly what the founders feared," said one constitutional law professor. "When branches of government refuse to accept each other's authority, the whole system breaks down."

But Trump's supporters see it differently. They view this as a president fighting for American workers against both foreign competitors and a judiciary they believe has overstepped its bounds.

The International Response

Other nations aren't waiting to see how this constitutional drama plays out. The European Union has already signaled it's considering retaliatory tariffs. China's trade ministry issued a statement calling the move "economically destructive and legally questionable."

The World Trade Organization faces a dilemma: how do you adjudicate trade disputes when one of your largest members is openly defying its own courts?

For businesses caught in the middle, the message is clear: brace for more volatility. Global supply chains, already strained by years of trade tensions, now face another layer of uncertainty.