Washington DC, 24 February (H.S.): President Donald Trump has intensified his trade offensive, vowing much higher tariffs and worse against any country daring to play games with a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that curtailed his sweeping global import levies.

In a landmark 6-3 ruling on February 20, Chief Justice John Roberts-led majority declared Trump's use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) unlawful for imposing broad tariffs without congressional approval. The decision invalidated billions in revenue-generating duties on allies from Canada to India, originally justified as emergency measures against trade imbalances and security threats.

Roberts emphasized that IEEPA authorizes asset freezes or sanctions on adversaries, not wholesale trade taxes.

Undeterred, Trump signed an executive order hours later imposing a 10% tariff on most foreign imports under alternative authorities like Section 122, effective immediately and lasting up to 150 days. He quickly escalated it to 15% the next day via proclamation, while launching Commerce Department probes for additional Section 301 duties on unfair practices.

U.S. Customs announced it would cease collecting struck-down IEEPA tariffs starting Tuesday, injecting fresh uncertainty into global supply chains.

Trump's Monday Truth Social post targeted nations he accuses of ripping off America for decades: Any Country that wants to 'play games' with the ridiculous supreme court decision... will be met with much a higher Tariff, and worse. This comes amid allies like the EU and UK pausing trade deal votes, fearing erosion of negotiated reductions—India's duties had dropped from 50% to 18% via a recent interim pact with PM Narendra Modi.

Brazil, China, and India may gain relatively, while the UK faces the steepest hikes, potentially costing British exporters £3 billion annually.

The Yale Budget Lab projects Trump's 15% tariff could burden average U.S. households by $1,315 yearly, curbing GDP growth and spiking unemployment. Democrats and businesses hail the ruling as a check on executive overreach, but Trump's maneuvers signal protracted trade battles ahead.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar