Supply Lines

Trump’s New Tariffs Face Their Own Legal Questions

The US faces a “balance of payments” crisis, Trump declares in invoking new 15% global tariffs

Shipping containers at the Port of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California, US, on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026.Photographer: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg

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By Shawn Donnan

February 23, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

It took just hours after the Supreme Court on Friday invalidated most of President Donald Trump’s tariffs for him to sign an executive proclamation replacing them with new 10% global duties for 150 days. And it took just hours after that for an angry Trump to turn to social media to threaten to increase that to 15% over the weekend.

All was back to Trump normal in other words. Which certainly is what his administration has been working hard to portray. Whether it comes to raising revenues or the state of the tentative or fragile trade deals struck with other countries, Trump’s team insists all is well despite the court’s ruling and evidence otherwise emerging from Europe and India.

Read More: EU Set to Halt US Trade Deal Approval Over Trump Tariff Risk

The Trump administration has also been eliding over just what the statute Trump is invoking to justify his replacement duties means. Which really ought to be getting more attention and, as we wrote Sunday, is prompting questions about whether these new temporary tariffs might also one day be declared illegal as well.