Trump orders temporary 10% global tariffs as he hits out at 'deeply disappointing' Supreme Court ruling

LAST UPDATE | 2 hrs ago

US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump vowed to impose a 10% tariff on all imports into the United States after the Supreme Court handed him a stinging rebuke by striking down his signature economic policy.

The conservative-majority top court ruled six-three that a 1977 law known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) Trump has relied on “does not authorise the president to impose tariffs.”

Trump, who had nominated two of the justices who repudiated him, responded furiously, alleging without any evidence that the court was influenced by foreign interests and stating the ruling was “deeply disappointing”.

“I’m ashamed of certain members of the court, absolutely ashamed, for not having the courage to do what’s right for our country,” Trump told reporters.

Trump said he would use a separate authority to impose a uniform tariff of 10 percent – after he spent the past year imposing various rates spontaneously to cajole and punish other countries.

“In order to protect our country, a president can actually charge more tariffs than I was charging in the past,” Trump said, insisting that the ruling left him “more powerful.”

While Trump has long used tariffs as a lever for pressure and negotiations, he made unprecedented use of emergency economic powers upon returning to the presidency last year to slap new duties on virtually all US trading partners.

These included “reciprocal” tariffs over trade practices that Washington deemed unfair, alongside separate sets of duties targeting major partners Mexico, Canada and China over illicit drug flows and immigration.

The court noted today that “had Congress intended to convey the distinct and extraordinary power to impose tariffs” with IEEPA, “it would have done so expressly, as it consistently has in other tariff statutes.”

The ruling does not impact sector-specific duties that Trump has separately imposed on imports of steel, aluminum and various other goods.

Formal probes which could ultimately lead to more such sectoral tariffs remain in the works.

Tánaiste and Finance Minister Simon Harris said this evening that the Goverment is “monitoring the situation closely” following the Supreme Court ruling.

“Low tariffs are in everyone’s interests and, at a European level, we will continue to engage with our US counterparts in order to promote measures that work for all,” Harris said.

“We expect the US administration will issue a statement shortly on their response to the ruling. 

“Of course, tariffs by some other means, for instance via some alternative legal basis, cannot be ruled out.

Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee labelled the Supreme court ruling a “significant development in the wider global trading environment”.

“I remain in close contact with the European Commission on this issue. I understand they are engaging directly with the US Administration to seek clarity on how they intend to respond,” McEntee said.

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She added that the Department of Foreign Affairs will monitor developments “closely” and assess any potential implications for Irish trade, businesses and jobs.

EU reaction

The European Commission called for stability in the EU-US trading relationship following the ruling.

“We remain in close contact with the US administration as we seek clarity on the steps they intend to take in response to this ruling,” European Commission Deputy Chief Spokesperson Olof Gill said in a statement on social media.

“Businesses on both sides of the Atlantic depend on stability and predictability in the trading relationship. We therefore continue to advocate for low tariffs and to work towards reducing them,” Gill added.

According to reports, Brussels is broadly expecting that the Trump administration could seek to reinstate tariffs through alternative legal routes, such as Section 232 investigations.

Those probes were previously used to impose duties on European steel and aluminium and remain a potential source of renewed trade tension.

In August 2025, the US and EU locked in a framework trade deal setting duties at 15% on most imports, but that arrangement sits within a wider trade landscape shaped by a series of executive actions and temporary truces.

The Irish Business and Employers Confederation (Ibec) said that the Supreme Court ruling will “inevitably weaken the hand of the US Government in relation to the application of across-the-board tariffs”.

“Ibec members will now watch with interest as to how the US Government will respond to the Court’s decision and consider the wider implications of both today’s decision and any possible US policy reaction in the round,” Ibec Executive Director of Lobbying and Influence, Fergal O’Brien, said.

Irish effect

For Ireland, the stakes are particularly high.

The US has long been the State’s most important export market, a trend that intensified sharply in 2025 amid tariff uncertainty.

The value of Irish goods exports to the US surged by 52% to almost €112 billion last year, according to data from the Central Statistics Office.

Almost 43% of all Irish goods exports were destined for the US in 2025, up from around 33% the previous year.

The spike was heavily influenced by tariff policy, as US companies rushed to import and stockpile goods from Ireland ahead of actual or threatened levies, including Trump’s so-called “liberation day” tariffs announced in April 2025.

More than half (€138.6 billion) of all Irish goods exported in 2025 were medical and pharmaceutical products.

Trump has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction at the scale of US pharmaceutical manufacturing in Ireland.

However, while tariffs on pharmaceuticals have been threatened, they have largely not been imposed to dater.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been contacted for comment.

With reporting from AFP

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