After Supreme Court setback, Trump says tariffs already being imposed ‘in another form’

US President Donald Trump on Monday said he has begun imposing tariffs through alternative mechanisms after the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that he exceeded his authority by unilaterally imposing sweeping global tariffs without clear approval from Congress.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the court acknowledged that he still has the authority to impose tariffs “in another form” and indicated his administration has already begun doing so.

“The decision that mattered most to me was TARIFFS!” Trump wrote, adding that he has “the absolute right to charge TARIFFS in another form, and have already started to do so.”

Supreme Court ruling

The comments came weeks after the court delivered a major setback to Trump in a 6–3 ruling that said he violated federal law when he imposed “reciprocal” tariffs globally without explicit congressional authorization.

Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts rejected the administration’s claim that emergency powers allowed the president to act on his own.

“The president asserts the extraordinary power to unilaterally impose tariffs of unlimited amount, duration, and scope,” Roberts wrote. “In light of the breadth, history, and constitutional context of that asserted authority, he must identify clear congressional authorisation to exercise it.”

Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh dissented.

Trump thanked the three justices for their “wisdom and courage” and sharply criticised the court’s majority, calling the institution a “weaponized and unjust political organization.”

Trump also warned that the ruling could force the United States to return billions of dollars in tariffs already collected from importers, saying such a move would reward countries that he claimed had taken advantage of the US for decades.

A US trade court judge has since directed the federal government to begin refunding billions of dollars in tariffs paid by importers following the ruling.

The decision represents the most significant judicial setback so far for Trump’s second term and the first major piece of his economic agenda to reach the nation’s highest court since his return to the White House.

Fresh tariff measures

The Trump administration has moved ahead with alternative trade measures.

The administration has already imposed a temporary 10% tariff on foreign-made goods under Section 122 of the Trade Act, a measure set to expire on July 24.

Trump has said he plans to raise that tariff to 15%.

The United States has launched investigations into alleged unfair trade and manufacturing practices by 16 economies, including India and China, that Washington says may be harming American industry.

The United States has also opened probes into 60 economies over alleged failures to prevent the import of goods produced with forced labour.