A theme of loyalty ran through every aspect of President Trump’s turbulent Saturday, as he announced a 15% global tariff and simultaneously attacked Supreme Court justices he saw as having betrayed him — including two of his own nominees — while praising those who dissented in his favor as true patriots and heroes of American economic policy.
The 15% tariff was announced via Truth Social and draws authority from Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows a president to impose tariffs up to that level for 150 days without congressional authorization. Trump declared it effective immediately and described the measure as a rightful correction to decades of foreign exploitation of American markets. His administration said it would use the 150-day window to craft lasting trade policy.
Trump’s rage at the Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling was matched only by the intensity of his praise for those who stood with him. He called dissenters Kavanaugh, Thomas, and Alito courageous and patriotic, while branding majority justices as “fools and lapdogs” serving radical political interests. His own nominees Barrett and Gorsuch were called “an embarrassment to their families” and “barely” invited to next week’s State of the Union.
European capitals reacted to the tariff announcement with alarm and a call for stability. Germany’s Chancellor Merz described the constant shifting of US tariff policy as economic poison and announced he would travel to Washington with a coordinated European position. France’s Macron praised the court’s original ruling as an affirmation of democratic governance and insisted that trade must be based on fairness and reciprocity.
With approximately 90% of the $130 billion in tariffs already collected paid by American businesses and consumers, the new 15% rate deepens domestic economic pressure. Exemptions apply to critical minerals, metals, pharmaceuticals, and USMCA-compliant goods from Canada and Mexico. Sector-specific tariffs on steel, aluminum, lumber, and autos remain fully operative under separate legal authority.