President Donald Trump said he will raise the worldwide tariff rate from 10% to 15%, escalating trade tensions a day after the US Supreme Court struck down his earlier sweeping duties. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that he would be “effective immediately, raising the 10% Worldwide Tariff on Countries… to the fully allowed, and legally tested, 15% level.” The move comes after the court ruled 6-3 that he had exceeded his authority in imposing broad tariffs under emergency powers.
For India, the development adds fresh uncertainty to an already shifting tariff regime.
Earlier, under a February 20 proclamation, the US had imposed a temporary 10% ad valorem import surcharge for 150 days beginning February 24, replacing the previous 25% reciprocal tariff on Indian goods. That reduction followed negotiations on an interim trade framework between Washington and New Delhi. The 10% levy applies over and above existing Most Favoured Nation duties.
Now, Trump’s announcement of a 15% global tariff suggests Indian exports could face a higher rate than the 10% temporary surcharge, though detailed implementation terms are awaited.
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The Commerce Ministry said it is examining the implications. “We have noted the US Supreme Court judgement on tariffs yesterday (Friday). US President Donald Trump has also addressed a press conference in this regard. Some steps have been announced by the US administration. We are studying all these developments for their implications,” the ministry said.
Following the SCOTUS verdict, speaking at a news conference, Trump insisted that ongoing trade arrangements with India remain intact.
“Nothing changes. They’ll (India) be paying tariffs, and we will not be paying tariffs. So deal with India is they pay tariffs. This is a reversal for what it used to be. As you know, India and I think Prime Minister Modi is a great gentleman, a great man, actually, but he was much smarter than the people that he was against in terms of the United States, he was ripping us off. So we made a deal with India. It’s a fair deal now, and we are not paying tariffs to them, and they are paying tariffs. We did a little flip,” Trump said.
“The India deal is on…all the deals are on, we’re just going to do it” in a different way, Trump said.
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The US had imposed a reciprocal tariff of 25 per cent on India in August. Later, an additional 25 per cent was imposed for buying Russian crude oil, taking the total tariffs on India to 50 per cent.
India and the US are working to finalise the first phase of a bilateral trade agreement, with talks scheduled in Washington.
In a major setback to Trump’s pivotal economic agenda of his second term, the US Supreme Court, in a 6-3 verdict written by Chief Justice John Roberts, ruled that the tariffs imposed by Trump on nations around the world were illegal and that the President had exceeded his authority when he imposed the sweeping levies.
Trump lashed out at the Supreme Court justices who ruled against him, calling them “fools and lapdogs”.
In another post on Truth Social today, he wrote, “My new hero is United States Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and, of course, Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that they want to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
